![]() How you doin’? Like many companies that develop products, not all the recipes we develop come to market. For many of our projects, we show our clients twice as many recipes as they contracted for. That gives our clients a lot to choose from and it’s fun to really stretch the test kitchen chefs. This is one recipe that never went anywhere. I was surprised, but then the client approved about 10 other sandwich fillings, leaving this one to be rediscovered here on the blog. What I particularly like about this recipe is it can be used as a spicy sandwich filling, side salad or an entrée salad. It is easy to make and simple use. Oh, and by the way it tastes great. Prep time: 10 minutes Yield: 16 ounces (2 to 3 sandwiches / 2 to 3 side salads / 2 entrée salad) Ingredients 10 ounces cooked shrimp defrosted, drained, tails removed (see ChefSecret) 5 tablespoons mayonnaise 1/2 tablespoon, Grey Poupon mustard 2 tablespoons diced celery 1/2 tablespoon diced red onion (1/8-inch) 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped scallions 1/4 teaspoon seeded red jalapeno, diced (1/16-inch) 1/4 teaspoon seeded green jalapeno, diced (1/16-inch) 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika 1 tablespoon fresh, finely-chopped cilantro leaves 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon sriracha chili sauce Directions
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I was told to keep my social activities under 10 people. No problem… there aren’t 10 people I like enough to gather with!” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Salad #Entree #Side #Seafood #ShrimpSalad #Shrimp #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021
0 Comments
![]() How you doin’? I love tamales! There are tamale-like dishes in countries all around the world, not just Mexico and Central and South America. What is always interesting are the different wrappers and fillings that are used from country to country—corn, potato, rice for filling and corn husks, banana and tea leaves for wrappers. I attempted to make tamales on several occasions. It can be an all-day affair—one that I don’t engage in anymore. Once you get started you have to make at least a hundred of them to make it worthwhile. But everyone in our test kitchen knows to bring in some of “mama’s” homemade tamales at Christmas time—that’s the price for a year-end bonus. Last year, I discovered a novel way to make a limited number of not-so-traditional tamales at home anytime you want them—they are Mini-Tamale Pie Muffins. Inside each crispy cornmeal muffin is a chili of seasoned ground beef and corn and bean salsa. My mini-tamale muffins are made with lean ground beef, corn and bean salsa and plenty of seasoning—you’ll think you’re on a Mexican beach vacation. These mini-muffins have all the tasty goodness of “real” Mexican food, but because the recipe is made from scratch, you won't have all of the added lard you might find in many traditional tamales, yet there is a flavor-thrill in every bite and they’re so much fun to eat. Planning a party? If you have a large group of people to feed, you can't go wrong with this easy tamale muffin recipe. Plan on about two tamale muffins per person with side of roasted corn and salsa. Your guests are sure to love the loaded mini muffins and they might just come back for seconds. Prep time: 20 minutes Bake time: 20 minutes Cool time: 5 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients For the filling 8 foil muffin cup liners Food release spray (Pam works well) 2 teaspoons olive oil 8 ounces ground beef (80/20) 2 to 3 teaspoons Ed’s Taco Seasoning (see recipe below) 3/4 cup tomato-chili salsa 1/4 cup corn (frozen or fresh) 2 tablespoons water For the topping 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/4 cup all purpose-flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 large egg 1/2 cup milk 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup grated pepper jack cheese Directions
Ed’s Taco Seasoning Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cup Ingredients 1/4 cup sweet paprika 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Directions
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “It may take a village to raise a child, but I swear it’s going to take a whole vineyard to home school one.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Entrees #Side #Snack #CornMuffin #TamalePie #MiniMuffin #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 A California Pizza Kitchen Hack![]() How you doin’? Wow! Today is a milestone event… this is the 200th edition of our Covid-19 Survival Guide Cooking Lessons. We hope you have enjoyed the recipes along with a little history about the foods you eat to be helpful. We know it has certainly helped us get through some long, difficult days when we had very little to do. We really do miss meeting up with our clients in person and helping them get through these times. We have been able to support many of them via phone and email. Still… it’s not the same. We also really miss going out to restaurants. If you live in the Los Angeles area you already know that there is no inside or outside dining permitted due to Covid-19 restrictions. It’s kind of ironic since restaurants are some of the cleanest/sanitized and most policed institutions in all of commerce. The restaurant industry also employs more co-workers than any other single industry and yet very few politicians have come to their rescue. Pre-pandemic, Joan and I would go to California Pizza Kitchen several times a month and usually order the same thing—Joan, Dakota Smashed Pea + Barley Soup and a small Mediterranean Salad and I would order the Sedona Tortilla Soup and the Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing. Last week I started working on a recipe that closely matched the CPK Thai Crunch Chicken Salad. It’s a very healthy meal with a great crunch and a good amount of protein all dressed in a pungent Thai Peanut Dressing. It has lots of yummy, shredded nutrient-rich veggies like green and red cabbage, as well as carrots, red peppers, and edamame. This Thai Chicken Crunch Salad is quick to toss together and makes a healthy, satisfying meal! I’ll let you be the judge as to whether you want to have it a couple times per month, too! Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes Yield: 2 to 4 salads Ingredients For the Thai peanut dressing 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (I prefer Skippy) 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1-1/2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce 1 tablespoon honey 2 teaspoons water 2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce (or low-sodium soy sauce) 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 tablespoon sesame oil For the salad 3 cups Napa cabbage thinly sliced 1 cup red cabbage thinly sliced 1/2 cup shredded carrots 1 cup cooked boneless, skinless shredded chicken breasts, (I save time by using leftover roasted chicken) 1/2 cup red, yellow or orange mild bell peppers, julienne cut 3 green onion stalks (the green part) finely sliced 3/4 cup shelled and chilled edamame 1/2 cup peanuts lightly crushed (support our country’s farmers—Grown in USA Peanuts) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, loosely packed 1/2 cup fried wonton shreds 1/4 cup fried (puffed) white rice noodle 3 sprigs of parsley for garnish Directions To make the Thai peanut dressing
ChefSecret: I usually double the dressing recipe as I like a well-dressed salad with lots of extra peanut dressing on the side. It keeps well refrigerated. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Things have gotten so bad… my cousin had an exorcism but couldn’t pay for it—they re-possessed her!” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Salad #ThaiChickenCrunchSalad #Chicken #Peanuts #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB #CPK #CaliforniaPizzaKitchen #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 ![]() I see some of our fellow citizens are finally going back to work. I think many of the changes we made in our lives over the last several months will stick around including preparing our own meals. Many of our readers have finally figured out what to do with the Instant Pot they got for Christmas a couple of years ago. If you don’t have the time or inclination to cook for the family for a week over a weekend you can conjure things up in minutes with your Instant Pot. I am using mine more than ever. No matter what the weather, I love soup. Even on the hottest summer day, a bowl of soup seems to make me cooler. My recipe for Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup is thick and cheesy with and loaded with broccoli. This recipe is easy to double to insure you have enough for later in the week. Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients To make the soup 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 cup diced yellow onion 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup diced potatoes 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 cups chicken broth 1-1/2-pounds chopped broccoli florets, fresh or frozen To thicken the soup 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter To finish the soup 6 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups) 4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup) 2 cups half and half To garnish the soup 4 to 6 whole broccoli florets, microwaved 6 teaspoons shredded Cheddar cheese Directions
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “And, it’s starting all over again… Due to the recent worsening of an outbreak of Stupidity and Panic-Purchasing by complete idiots, the nation is again experiencing a shortage of toilet paper and common sense. Expect supplies to be replenished once these sheep-minded morons have all starved to death in their homes surrounded by toilet paper, but without anything to eat.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Soup #InstantPot #BroccoliCheddarSoup #CreamOfBroccoliSoup #Broccoli #Cheddar #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 The 2020 Holidays Recipe Collection ![]() How you doin’? Roast beef Chili? I can see you scratching your head. Who makes chili out of roast beef? I do! Making a long story short, I used to work for Lawry’s (both the food company and the restaurants). My first couple of months as a food and beverage consultant I was entertaining buyers at Lawry’s the Prime Rib several times a week. Lawry’s was great family business and I loved the story and the Frank family behind it. Even before joining the company, I already had a nostalgic feeling for the restaurant where we held our family milestone events—birthday, anniversaries, graduations—and where I first tasted fine prime rib. Lawry’s was a dining experience. When you dined at Lawry’s your cut of prime rib is served to you by a carver in a spiffy white chef’s outfit with a medallion around his neck. He rolled a hefty, gleaming stainless-steel serving cart to your table (that costs as much as a new Cadillac) filled with cooked prime ribs, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and creamed corn. The carver slices off the appropriate cut—Diamond Jim Cut (over a pound), Lawry’s Cut (over a half pound) and English Cut (thin slice of roast beef). Lawry’s is known for their efficient, spectacular service and you can be seated and served and out the door in under an hour. Prime rib of beef is rich, somewhat fatty and a lot of beef to consume in a short amount of time. I found myself taking home “doggy bags” and making the best damn chili with the leftovers. It doesn’t take much prime rib to make a really great chili. Use the recipe below as a guide—feel free to tailor it to your own tastes and the availability of roast beef. This is a great starter Instant Pot recipe and what I call a dump-and-cook chili—not much to it except the great taste in a little over a half hour. Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes, plus 10 minutes (release time) Yield: 8 Servings Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 to 2 cups of diced prime rib 1 cup of diced yellow onion 2 (30-ounce) cans of mild chili beans 1 (10-ounce) can of original Ro·tel chili and tomatoes (mild) 2 cups corn off-the-cob or frozen corn kernels 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon dried cumin 2 cans of dark beer (I prefer Guinness) 1 to 1-1/2 cups of Frito® brand corn chips Directions
ChefSecret: Don’t have any leftover prime rib? You can make my chili with a pound of ground beef and a half pound of chorizo sausage. Sauté both together with the onions. No matter how you make chili, it always tastes better the next day. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I’ve had a lot of things to think about over the last 8 months. One is, why do they put braille on the drive-through bank machines?”. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- Here is wishing you the very best during the holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Entrees #InstantPot #RoastBeefChili #Lawrys #Rotel #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2020 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 |
For over 4 decades collaboration and vision have been the cornerstones of our approach to developing innovative solutions. We fuel innovation, uncover opportunities, discover trends and embrace sustainability, turning imaginative ideas into profitable realities. Categories
All
Archives
January 2021
|