Back on Monday!

Hi there!

I'm in New Mexico for the weekend!  I'll be back on Monday with new recipes!  

New Twitter

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http://www.twitter.com/cookontherun

Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

Check this very quick video on how to make homemade tzatziki sauce. For those of you who don't know, it's a Greek appetizer made of yogurt (plain), cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and mint. It's that side of white sauce served with your gyros ;)

I eat a lot more of it because it's a quick snack high in protein (use greek yogurt b/c it contains more yogurt)

Check out my new Youtube Channel

I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe, but check out my new Youtube page, all the videos from this site will be on there. Check it out.

Fiery Hummus

Here's another take on the simple hummus. As I mention, if you want to add a 1/4 cup of tahini to the hummus go for it. It's just ground up sesame seeds. Adds a different layer of flavor. Anyway, the crew loved this one. Spicy!!

Hummus With Kalamata Olives

I've been making my own hummus for a few years now. I learned how to make it while working at a bar in Hell's Kitchen years ago. Since then, I rarely buy hummus from the store. It's so easy, takes only a couple of minutes to make, and tastes more fresh than what you buy at the store. Check it out below!

This Past Weekend

Here' s a taste of what we filmed this past weekend. I'll be posting a new recipe tomorrow! Stay tuned

Become a Follower

Thanks for all the great feedback and emails! Don't forget to become a follower of the webpages. It's on the bottom right-hand corner of the page!

Relaunch

I've relaunched the site! Thanks for all the feedback, support, and comments. Hope you can all use this as a resource. Enjoy!

Devils on Horseback

Bacon pretty much rocks. I eat healthy most of the time, but this is one of my weaknesses. Nothing goes better with bacon than something sweet (check out the post from July 12th) I had something similar at the Spotted Pig, an awesome gastropub in the West Village (on W. 11th & Perry St.) --> my rugby teammate and good friend Robinson works there...give him a hello! The dish is called Devils on Horseback. Traditionally, these are prepared using prunes, but remember something...food is open to interpretation. These actually are the cheaper version of a dish called Angels on Horseback which uses oysters instead of prunes.

So for my version of Devils on Horseback, I'm using dates. I steep the dates in bourbon, black tea, nutmeg, and a couple of dried chilis. Now steeping simply means soaking an ingredient in a liquid until it is saturated. (think of steeping tea leaves) I speed up the process by slightly simmering the dates in the liquid and letting them sit for a few minutes. Once soaked, I wrap them in bacon and bake. I take the liquid that I just used to steep the dates in and reduce it to a thick sauce.

Now go ahead and make these bad boys just like I prepared them or better yet come up with your own version. Use prosciutto or turkey bacon or better yet stuff it with mango chutney, almonds, or goat cheese. I've tried them all and they taste great...just be creative!

Devils on Horseback
40 dates
20 pieces of bacon
1 cup of bourbon
1 cup of black tea
½ tsp. of grated nutmeg
2 dried red chilis

Combine the bourbon, black tea, nutmeg, and red chilis and pour over dates. Simmer on low/med for 20 minutes. Strain the dates and reserve the liquid. Cut the bacon in half so you have 40 pieces as well. Wrap each date with a piece of bacon and pierce with a tootpick. Repeat this 39 more times. Place on a broiler pan and bake at 350º for 25 minutes (or to your liking). While the bacon is in the oven, take the liquid you just strained from the dates and put on low/med heat and reduce it down to a thick sauce.

Take the Devils on Horseback out of the oven and place on a platter. It’s optional whether or not you want to remove the toothpicks. Lastly, either pour the reduced sauce over the dates or use as a dipping sauce. Enjoy!!

Maple -Mustard Pork

I was up in Montreal last month and discovered the Canadians love of maple. Maple syrup is everywhere there...on t-shirts, mugs. Here's a bit of history: The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf and l'Unifolié (French for the "one-leafed"), serves as a symbol celebrating the nature and environment of what is now Canada since the 1700s.

Well, how it ties into this recipe is quite simple. You'll get a sense of how I come up with recipes. I got home late the other night and needed something quick. I was thinking about my recent trip and thought about maple syrup (go figure!) I had a pork tenderloin at home and some sweet potatoes and nothing goes better with these two ingredients than something sweet. Maple syrup is not just for pancakes and waffles. Make sure you don't use those labeled "pancake syrup", "waffle syrup", "table syrup", etc. High fructose corn syrup is the main ingredient. It not only tastes awful but is so overly processed it barely resembles the real stuff. Your waste-line will thank you too.

Below is a recipe I came up with years ago. It uses maple syrup, whole grain mustard, and ground ginger.

Maple-Mustard Pork

¼ cup real maple syrup
2 tbs. whole grain mustard
3 tbs tamari (soy sauce)
1/2 tsp. of ground ginger

Mix all the ingredients together and pour over pork tenderloin. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes. Bake @ 425º for 25 minutes. The 4 sweet potatoes were peeled, cubed, and thrown in 2 quarts of salted water. Once drained, I mashed them up how I normally would (up to you how you like them -->milk, cream, butter...up to you). I then added 3 tablespoons of maple syrup. This ties both the pork and potatoes together. Grill up some asparagus and almonds and you're good to go! Enjoy.

Website Name Change

Sabor So Simple is now http://www.cookontherun.com

Pass it along!!

A taste of the Colombian Coast

Here is what I consider an authentic Colombian coastal dish. It's Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk w/ Cilantro. If you are Colombian you've certainly had arroz con coco. I've prepared the coconut milk the same way and then sautéed the shrimp and garlic in the browned coconut cream. Then I add the rest of the coconut milk and shrimp and top it off with a bunch of cilantro...my favorite. The dish took me under 30 minutes to cook (because of the rice) but if you're on a low-carb plan and don't need the rice, it will take you under 20 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops in Lemon Cream Sauce

As with most of my recipes, I came up with this one on the train ride home one day. What I want to accomplish with this post is show you exactly how I cook a quality and might I say damn good meal each night when I partially unwind from a full day at the office (and also how to perfectly sear a scallop). This dish took me less than 20 minutes from start to finish. I don't lie when it comes to the time it takes to cook a dish. I account for all prep time, so I'll be honest with you about it.

Scallops are one of those proteins people often times avoid cooking because perception is they are difficult to cook and get just right. It is true though, an extra 30 seconds on the heat and your scallops are tough, stringy, and just not as good. So make sure to pay attention to the tips I give in the video!

It's Friday...It's Drink Time

It's been an awfully busy week at work and there's nothing better than a martini on a Friday night after over 50 hours of work, rugby, gym, and working on this site. If you like martini's with olives, try stuffing the olives with blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese.

Simply take a piece of cheese, stuff it in the olive and throw a few of them in your martini. It's one of my favorites. After two of them, there's no need to order an appetizer :)

Try it out and enjoy your Friday night! I'll have a great brunch recipe up tomorrow.

Simple Whipped Cream

As I mentioned in Monday's post, here is a simple simple recipe for whipped cream. Say adios to that whipped cream in the blue plastic container in your grocer's freezer section. This "stuff" is made of water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. Yep, my recipe is cream, but google high fructose corn syrup and your health and you'll see why this trumps that frozen whipped cream. Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

A strawberry shortcake to cure the Monday blues...recipe posted shortly. So so simple...