1 Bunch (about 10 oz) kale stemmed and washed
1 14 Oz package of firm tofu, sliced about 1/4 thick in the shape of dominos
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp of rice wine vinegar
1/4 of chicken or vegetable stock
1 Tsp of corn starch
1/4 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp ground pepper (white if you have it)
1/4 Tsp of sugar
1 Tbsp sesame oil (canola and peanut oil work as well)
1 Tbsp of minced garlic
1 Tbsp of minced ginger
1/4 Cup of carrots cut into 2 inch julienned
1 Tsp of House of Tsang Szechuan Stir Fry Sauce

Bring a medium sauce pan to a boil (lightly salted). Add the kale and blanch one minute. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set up in a bowl near your wok.

Lay the slices of tofu flat on a paper towel and cover with another layer of paper towel.

In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, stir fry sauce, rice wine vinegar, stock and corn starch. Combine the salt, pepper and sugar in another small bowl. Have both bowls in arms reach of the wok.

Heat a 14-inch wok or a 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately when added. Swirl in the oil at this point, coating the lower sides of the pan and swirling the pan to coat the bottom then add the tofu. Stir-fry for one to two minutes and/or until they begin to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for no more than 10-15 seconds. Add the carrots and stir-fry for 1 minute. Then add the kale, salt pepper and sugar and then toss together. Add the soy sauce mixture and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat, and serve with noodles or rice. For this meal we went with a basic brown rice.

Another note from the original recipe is that blanched kale can keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss butternut squash codes with olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper. When oven is ready roast butternut squash for 10 minutes until slightly soft. On medium heat in a large stock pot, cook onion and garlic in olive oil. When translucent, add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add chicken (raw), then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. The chicken will cook in the soup.

In a small bowl, whisk together the almond butter and 1/2 cup of the existing soup mixture. Add the kale, ginger and squash to the soup and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the almond butter mixture and then season with salt and pepper.

Let soup continue to cook to make sure that greens cook through. When soup is ready, ladle into bowl and squeeze lime over soup. Do not forget the lime, this is an incredible flavor addition to the soup!

1 Whole Chicken
1 Can of beer
1/4 Cup of savory rub, the ingredients are up to you.
1 Tbsp of olive or grape seed oil.

First preheat the oven to 350 or fire up the grill arranging the coals for an indirect heat set up (where the coals are piled to one side of the grill so you can place the chicken in the area where it won't be directly over the hot coals.) If you are using a gas grill, you can set up for indirect heat using the outside burners and leave the center burner off.

Rinse the chicken thoroughly with water inside and out and coat with oil. Take your rub and massage it onto the chicken on all sides and inside the cavity, be sure to save about a teaspoon of the rub to put in the can. Use your fingers to separate the skin from the breast slightly and get some of the rub in the space between the skin and flesh.

Now that the chicken is seasoned, use a can opener to cut off the top of the beer can and carefully drink half (or spill it out to mother earth) and sprinkle the remaining rub into the beer and stir. Now you are ready to stand the chicken up on the can. In a medium roasting pan, place the can in the center and carefully lower the chicken onto the can and use the can and the chicken's legs to prop up the chicken. Arrange the racks in the oven so you have clearance to slide the pan in and set the timer for about an hour and a half. I usually roast the chicken for the first hour at 350 and then lower the temperature to 325 for the last 15-30 minutes. Remove the chicken and the meat temperature should be 170 in the breast and 180 in the legs. Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Rub, Beer and Chicken

Chicken on a can!

1 1/4 cup of flour
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
5 tbsp of softened butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
1 large egg white
1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup of white chocolate chips
1/4 cup of dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar and brown sugar and beat until well combined. Add the egg white and vanilla and quickly beat until blended. With a hand mixer or in a mixer, slowly combine flour mixture into the butter mixture. When combined, add chocolate and cherries and mix well. Spray your cookie sheet with cooking spray and add formed cookies. The trick here is to put the cookie sheet with cookies in the freezer for 5 minutes. This will help the cookies keep their shape when they cook. Because the cookies use only the egg whites, they will bleed if cooked without freezing. Bake the cookies on 350 for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

For Crust:

6 Oz vanilla wafers (about 2/3 of a box)
3 Tbsp sugar
1/4 Tsp coarse salt
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). If you don't have access to a food processor you can use a blender or use a meat tenderizer and smash the cookies in a ziploc bag. Add sugar, salt, and butter and pulse until combined.

Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. (If using a springform pan, press crumbs halfway up sides.) Bake until crust is dry and set, say 15 minutes. Let the crust cool completely before filling.

For Filling:

2 bars (8 ounces each) light cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 medium pears, sliced lengthwise 1/8 inch thick
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese on high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup maple syrup; beat until smooth. In a medium bowl, beat cream and sugar on high until soft peaks form (see picture). With a rubber spatula, stir about one-third the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, then fold in remainder. Transfer to crust and refrigerate until firm, 3 hours (or up to 1 day).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange pear slices in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Roast until pears are soft, 20 minutes. Remove from oven and heat broiler. Brush pears with 2 tablespoons maple syrup and broil until browned in spots, about 4 minutes, rotating sheet frequently. Keep a sharp eye on the pears under the broiler as they can go from brown to burned quickly. To serve, arrange pear slices, overlapping slightly, on cheesecake.

2 ½ parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
½ part Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Cherry for garnish

Take a martini glass or Manhattan glass and fill with a few ice cubes and water to chill the glass. Be sure to chill the glass thoroughly (3-5 minutes should suffice). In a tin, fill 2/3 with ice and pour in bourbon, vermouth and bitters. Stir the contents in the tin using a cocktail spoon (a long-handled spoon which traditionally has a twisted handle, although any long spoon will do). The technique is to stir classic cocktails which contain all alcoholic ingredients. Shaking would introduce air bubbles and cloud the cocktail, so stir for perfection. Let the ingredients sit for 30 seconds and dump the ice/water from the chilling glass. Add cherry to the bottom of the glass and strain the contents of the tin. The glass should be filled so that the width of a finger remains from the rim of the glass to the liquid. Sláinte! Enjoy!

Basil Hayden Manhattan

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 3-lb chicken, cut into serving pieces (leg and thigh separated and breast into 3 pieces)
3 Large garlic cloves
1-1/2 Cups lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 Cup of water
2 Tbsp fresh oregano, torn plus 3 additional sprigs.

Preheat the oven to 400

Coat the bottom of a cast iron baking dish with olive oil. Peel and cut the garlic cloves into thirds. Evenly distribute the garlic pieces in the pan.

Rinse the chicken and pat the pieces dry with paper towel. Arrange the chicken in the baking dish, skin side up.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste the mixture, and if it's too sour or acidic add water as desired. Pour the lemon juice mixture over the chicken, turning to coat all sides. Add the torn oregano and sprigs to the top (skin side) of the chicken. If you don't have access to fresh oregano, just use your favorite seasonings such as Italian seasoning or Fines Herbes etc.

Put the baking pan into the oven and cook the chicken until the skin is browned, basting occasionally with the pan juices, for approximately 40-45 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and pour pan drippings in a sauce boat to be served separately.

Alternatively you can shred/pull the chicken and pour the pan drippings over the pulled chicken and serve over rice or even on a salad.

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 small can of diced green chilies
1 can of chopped tomatoes in juice
Your meat of choice (about 1 lb)
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp of chili powder (add more based on desired heat)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 lb of cubed pork tenderloin
1/2 lb of cubed flatiron steak
1 tsp flour
Juice of half a lime
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
1 tsp adobo sauce (from chipotle in adobo)

Warm a large pot on the stovetop. When the pot has heated add olive oil. When that is warm add onions and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the pork and steak and cook on medium heat until the meat is browned and about 75% cooked. The meat will continue to cook as you make the chili, so you do not want to overcook the meat. When the meat is browned, add the flour and stir. This will add a little bit of thickness to your chili. What makes this recipe so easy is that now you just need to add the beans, corn, tomatoes and juice, and the spices and stir. Let this mixture cook for about 40 minutes or until you get the desired flavor. A few minutes before you are ready to serve, add the lime juice. We think that this adds a little tang to the chili. Once you have put your chili in the bowl, top with shredded cheese (and sour cream if you like). One suggestion if you like sour cream and heat is to mix in a little bit of adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobe to the sour cream. A little adobo goes a long way, so be careful of how much you add. The flavor is incredible, spicy and smoky, and will add a great flavor to your chili. We love to serve this chili with cornbread, so please see our Skillet Cornbread recipe to serve with this dish. As with most stews and soups, this recipe will get better the next day, so make enough for leftovers!

Cut tomatoes in 2, core and clean by removing seeds and juice. Chop the tomatoes into very small pieces and transfer into a colander and sprinkle with some salt (this will help draw out excess moisture). After 20 minutes or so, transfer to a bowl and add the garlic, basil, oregano, red chili peppers, olive oil and a drop of wine vinegar. Cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for another 30-60 minutes. Toast the bread just before serving. Arrange the bread on individual plates, top with the tomato and garnish with a whole basil leaf and serve immediately.

Tomato Bruschetta

First, catch many fish...
Second, immerse cedar planks in water for 2 hours...
Cut off fish heads...
Turn grill on medium-high and - once heated - place the planks on the grill for 30 seconds then flip and place the fish on the planks. Grill the fish for about 8-10 min a side, you will see the skin turn a nice gold color. Squeeze fresh lemon over the fish and enjoy!