Tag Archives: sauce

Romesco Sauce

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Lately, I have altered my eating habits a ton and am doing smaller portions, more frequently in order to keep my metabolism working. Now, this isn’t a dietician or preachy post but I have been feeling a lot healthier and been dropping weight – so look into it as it might be something that suits your lifestyle.
Anyway I digress, because there is a point to my babble. TAPAS! Yes! That’s right, we have posted a few tapa recipes but this one is more about the delish Spanish sauce that is typically served with tapas. I know there is a place in Philly (shout out to Amada) that serves this with their ham croquettes. I’ve also had it with just a baguette, or on top of a tortilla (Spanish omelet). It’s so yummy and versatile and not heavy. It’s typically made in the Catalonia region of Spain (which for all of you that are geographically challenged, think Northern/Eastern Spain). So tasty, I had to recreate it for you all, see below and enjoy!
  • 1/4 cup marcona almonds, toasted
  • 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp sherry vinegar (PS I didn’t have any so I subbed with red wine vinegar, same same).
  • 1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes, drained, about 1 1/3 cups
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 slice white bread (about 1-inch thick), crusts removed, toasted and torn into pieces
  • 1 large clove garlic, grated (I did 2 because I’m a Vampire at heart)
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Puree in food processor, and EAT!! on anything and everything. Great with grilled veggies or meats. Now get outside and enjoy before its too cold!
Romesco Sauce - Damn Delish
Happy Eating, XO.

Finger lickin’ good pulled pork

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Have you ever seen those commercials where people are eating a sloppy sandwich, it’s falling everywhere, and they lick their fingers and laugh? Yeah. You may just do the same after eating this pulled pork sandwich. Fine, I may be over dramatizing it a little bit. But what I’m not over dramatizing is how good this thing is, not to mention easy.

By now you’ve heard everyone and their mother say, “Don’t put away your crock pot just yet!”. Well, don’t. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean our schedules get any less hectic. And the crock pot makes this pulled pork just the right amount of tender to be finger lickin’ good.

*Makes roughly 4 sandwiches.

  • 2 lbs. pork loin
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1/4 cup ketchup (Heinz, duh)
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • Hamburger buns (potato buns are the best)

Place the pork in the crock pot and cover with the can of beef broth and water until fully submerged. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. When ready, scoop the pork out of the broth in to a bowl. It should be falling apart at this point. Pour the BBQ sauce, ketchup and vinegar over the pork and mix until fully combined. The pork will be “pulled” apart during this process. Spoon onto the bun and enjoy!

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Happy Eating, XO.

Asian Persuasian

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My favorite appetizer at Thai restaurants is chicken sate. I could literally eat an order of it as a meal. So I figured why waste delivery charge money on a dish that I can make it home…So after a few articles googled I decided to get to work, and boy was the final product delish!

  • 1 packet of boneless skinless chicken tenders (I bought mine from Trader Joes because they were cut just like sate pieces)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • pinch of smoked paprika
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • pinch of onion powder
  • pinch of salt & black pepper

Take the spices and mix. Then dry rub into the chicken. Heat your grill pan on high heat with some olive oil and start grilling the tenders. In the meantime, you can work on the peanut dipping sauce. Trust me on this- its way better than the jar junk that has a ton of preservatives. Also its super easy! All you have to do is: Heat and whisk the below ingredients in a sauce pan (well other than the ground peanuts that’s just for garnish and hence optional).

  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk (you should have this leftover from the goan curry recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (you should have this left over from the sweet potatoes recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • (optional) 2 tablespoons ground peanut
  • Salt to taste

Maybe next time I’ll venture into making the little pickled cucumber they serve with the sate at restaurants too. But for now…

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Happy Eating, XO.

Fall is here guys

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Vegetarianism usually makes my skin crawl…usually. I don’t feel full or complete unless there is some sort of protein with my dinner. Alas this blog has proven me wrong yet again. I always knew mushrooms were a good meat substitute because of their heartiness, but never truly was convinced. Makes no sense why I didn’t agree, they are earthy and filling. However, this dish is the first time in which I was sold on how I can eat a meal and not miss the protein. Especially because I love poblano peppers. So to test this puppy out was no hard sell. (Side note to my adoration of poblano sauce: One of my old co-worker’s grandmother would make poblano mac & cheese. It was her comfort food, a Guatemalan twist on an American classic. Ever since her sweet granny fed us all one day at work, its been my fav pepper to use). Speaking of comfort foods, polenta is the ultimate Italian comfort food so this meal will just make you feel all kinds of love. (Even if you don’t have a warm & fuzzy about poblano sauce like I do).For those of you unfamiliar with polenta, its a mashed potato-y consistency, but made with cornmeal so its healthier for you. I will say that the original recipe calls for one to make their own polenta and I will be damned if I don’t find a short cut. Shock, my good old favorite Trader Joe’s has a pre-made organic polenta they sell for a whopping $1.99 and its just so yum and low calorie! Oh, don’t worry my recipe trashes it up pretty well so that it doesn’t stay low cal for long. Guys, comfort food wouldn’t be so yummy without some butter and love. The nights are getting cooler and its time to grab your favorite hoodie and bowl of this and eat on your deck, patio, porch, backyard…you won’t be disappointed. Plus after a summer of burgers & dogs, you won’t even miss the meat!

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For the Poblano Sauce:
  • 2 poblano peppers (make sure you char them long enough, oyi that smell is so good! I had my handyman ask me what smelled so good)
  • ¾ cup light sour cream
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup sliced green onions
For the Mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon salted butter
  • 16 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella and white button mushrooms)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 scant tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water (optional, I just sprinkled in some all-purpose flour to thicken)

For the Polenta:

  • Trader Joe’s tube of polenta
  • 1 tbsp. of salted butter

Cut up the polenta and microwave on high at 2-3 minutes with the butter. Just to soften and mix. Then you can, roast the poblano peppers over an open flame or in the oven until the outside is slightly charred. Cut into pieces and set aside. Puree the sour cream, water, oil, garlic, and salt in a food processor. Add the green onions and poblano peppers and puree until desired consistency is reached. I like to leave a little bit of texture in the sauce. In a separate pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over high heat. Add the garlic and the mushrooms; saute until golden brown. Add the sauce and the cornstarch dissolved in water. Bring to a simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened. Serve the mushrooms and sauce over the polenta. YUM-O!!

Happy Eating, XO.

Chimichurri Sauce

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So that steak recipe got my red meat taste buds wet with an appetite to add some flair to my boring protein & veggie dinners. I thought of various ways I can jazz up a steak, or another meat dish in a pinch. I thought a sauce or glaze would do the trick. And since we are watching our weight here at damn delish I thought maybe a béchamel isn’t exactly the way to go. And as much as I would heart a yummy compound butter that’s not really helping my get fit before Spain game plan either. So then I had the proverbial foodie light bulb go off and I thought: Chimichurri sauce is divine. Fresh herbs, easy to make (read: no potential to mess it up) I am sold! Let’s see if your convinced on how this will fancy up any boring old meal. Leave comments below on how yours turns out.

  • 1 cup fresh cilantro (listen I’m not usually a fan but when its blended aka hidden with the other stuff its not half bad, trust me, I am an ex cilantro hater).
  • 2/3 cup fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup fresh oregano
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced (I did 3 because I’m crazy)
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (you know you have some leftover from the steak recipe)
  • 2/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (won’t add too much heat just a spiked up flavor)

Combine the parsley, cilantro, oregano and garlic in a food processor and pulse until small leaves and pieces remain. Add in the vinegar and pulse once more. With the processor going, stream in the olive oil and mix until just combined. Stir in the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Taste and season additionally if needed. Store sealed in the fridge for up to a week or so.

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Happy Eating, XO.