Moussaka

Serves 4 People.  

Ingredients
One half pound ground beef
1 Onion, Chopped
1 Potato, sliced into very thin (1/8 inch thick) rounds
3 Eggplant, Peeled and sliced into rounds

1 Tb tomato paste
1 ts Balsamic vinegar
1/2 ts garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Roux Mix
2 Tb butter
Flour
75 g Cheddar Cheese
Salt to taste

Tomato sauce

Directions
Coat the potatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil.  Cook the potatoes in the oven until they are soft.
Cook the onion and eggplant in some olive oil in separate skillets. Make sure that the onions are translucent and the eggplant is completely soft.

After they are all cooked, place the onion, potato and eggplant off to the side.

Next, cook the meat in a skillet until brown.  When the meat is cooked, add the tomato paste, balsamic, garlic, salt and pepper.  This will give the meat a little more flavor.

Place the meat off to the side.

Lastly, you need to make a roux.  This will go on the top of your moussaka.  Melt 2 tb of butter in a skillet on medium heat.  Add enough flour to form a thin paste.  Next add 1/2 cup of milk and stir until the liquid thickens.  Lastly, add the salt and cheddar cheese.  If you think that your mixture is too thick, you can add some more milk.  The consistency should be similar to yogurt.

The ingredients will now be assembled in a square baking dish.  You probably should use a 10" or 8" pan.  First, place the meat on the bottom.  Then add rotating layers of eggplant, onion and potato.  You can also add a little bit of tomato sauce with the layers if you prefer.

On the top spread your roux mixture.

Cook the Moussaka in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes and then broil it at the end to brown the top.

Sweet and Spicy Chili

Serves 3 to 4 People

Ingredients

2 Diced Onions
2 Bell Peppers Diced (You can choose the color)
1/2 Pound ground beef (the quality of the meat is your choice)
3 Tb Tomato Paste
3.5 Tb Cumin
2 Tb Tobasco
2 Tb Sugar 
1 Diced, Grilled Green Chili Pepper
2 Dried Red Chilis
150 g can Kidney Beans
Dash Cinnemon
Salt to Taste
Crushed Black Pepper to Taste
Water

Directions

In a medium sized pot, sautee the the onions and bell pepper.  You want to cook them until they are translucent. Take the pot off of heat if the vegetables start to over cook.

In a skillet, cook the ground meat.  This should be done at the same time that the vegetables are cooking.  When the meat is completely brown, add it to the pot with the cooked peppers and onion.

Allow the meat and vegetables and meat to simmer together on low for a minute or two and then add the tomato paste and enough water that the vegetables are are about 1 to 2 inches submerged. 

Make sure that the tomato paste is dissolved and then add cumin, tobasco, sugar, chilies, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.

Allow the ingredients to mingle on medium low heat.  Stir occasionally to make sure things are not sticking to the bottom.  The liquid will evaporate off during this time. You have a good consistency when the liquid coats the back of a spoon. 

Lastly, before serving, stir in the beans. 

Samosas

Makes 7 Samosas


Filling
3 Potatoes Skinned
2 Onions Chopped
1/4 Cup Peas (frozen)

4 Tb Yogurt
4 Tb Masala Seasoning
Pinch Salt

7 Won ton Skins

Directions
Boiled the potatoes until soft and caramelize the onions
Mix all of the filling ingredients together

Make the filling smooth with just a few lumps of potato in the mix.

Add 1 tablespoon of the filling into your won ton skin and fold it into a triangle.

Fry each samosa until brown in a frying pan filled with cooking oil.

Stuffed Blue Cheese Burgers

In my opinion there are two types of burgers.  There are those which showcase the meat and there are others which showcase flavors.  This burger was done with less expensive cuts and thus showcases added flavors.  

Makes 8 Burgers

Ingredients
Beef Mixture
1 Kg Ground Beef
1 onion chopped
Dash Pepper
1.5 tablespoons bbq sauce
1 Tsp Hot Sauce
1 Tsp Garlic Powder

Filling
80 g Blue Cheese
1 Cl Water
1/5 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Mix the beef mixture together in a large bowl.  Mix the cheese filling mixture together in another bowl.

Separate the beef mixture into 8 separate balls.

Take one ball and split it into two pieces.  With one piece, form it into a patty that is about 2 inches in diameter.  In the middle of this patty form a well where the filling will be placed.  Then place about 1 ts of the filling into the well.  Then, with the second piece of beef create a flat patty that has a diameter that is slightly larger than 2 inches.  Place this patty on the top of the welled patty and seal the two together.

Repeat this process with each burger.

Lastly,
grill on the grill!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 Chicken Breast ( seasoned with a dash of curry powder, salt, garlic powder, black pepper)
1 Onion diced
1 Potato (sliced into wedges and tossed with salt, pepper, and olive oil)

Sauce
3 Tbsp yogurt
1.5 Tbsp Tikka Masala spice (1/3 cumin, 1/3 coriander, 1/3 turmeric)
1 tsp tomato paste
dash of salt
1 Tsp of sugar
1 dried Chili crushed
7 tbsp water

Rice

Directions
Before dealing with the chicken portion of this dish, place the potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees and cook until soft.

If you want rice, also boil a pot of water and cook your rice. 

Main portion:
Mix the sauce ingredients and place to the side

Caramelize the onions and spice with a dash of vinegar

In the same pan, sear the chicken.  Then, add the sauce.
When the chicken is no longer pink, cut it into bite size pieces. 

Lastly, plate with rice and potato.

Lemon Garlic Chili Asparagus Tips

Serves 3

Ingredients
20 Asparagus stalks
Garlic powder
Salt
1 dried chili crushed
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions
Remove the bottom half of each asparagus stalk.  You want each asparagus to be about 3 inches long.  This is because the bottom can be stringy and touch.

Place the asparagus in a pan with a few tea spoons of water and the lemon.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the asparagus turns bright green and softens.

 Drain the water and add one tbsp of olive oil to finish the asparagus.  Also add a dash of garlic, salt and the crushed chili.

Allow the Asparagus to saute until the asparagus browns on each side.

Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 4

Ingredients
3 Medium sized eggplants
3 Eggs
Breadcrumbs seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder
Flour (1 to 2 cups)

Sauce
Same sauce as lasagna.  I used 4 times each ingredient for this recipe.

Cheese
2 to 3 cups of Mozzarella
1/2 cup of Parmesan 

Directions
Skin and slice your eggplant into 1/3 inch thick coins.

Then set up a station as shown below.  In the first bowl is the flour, then egg and lastly the bread crumb.  Each piece of eggplant should be submerged in each of these bowls.  First, flour.  Then, egg,  Lastly, breadcrumb.

Then, place the pieces of eggplant in a skillet on medium high with enough oil to keep the eggplant from touching the bottom of the pan.  Cook each piece until golden brown. 

Once all of the eggplant is cooked, stack the eggplant in a casserole dish lasagna style: Layer eggplant, layer sauce, layer eggplant, layer cheese (both cheeses)

Lastly, place in an over until the cheese is all melted and the top is brown.