1lb raw shrimp, chopped

¾ cup panko

2 Eggs

3 tbsp minced scallion

1 tsp grated lemon zest

¾ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp pepper ¼ cup olive oil or canola oil

1 tsp salt

In a bowl mix shrimp, panko, eggs, scallions, lemon zest, smoked paprik ,salt and pepper.

Form into cakes depending on the sizes that you desire. Small for appetizers or medium for dinner for 2.

In a large skillet heat the oil. In batches of 3 or 4 cook the cakes over moderately high heat until brown. 2 minutes each side.

When finish place on a paper towel to drain and serve with your choice of aioli or cocktail sauce. I prefer aioli.

Quick aioli: mayo, minced garlic, salt , pepper, lemon juice

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil

3 avocados, halved, peeled

1 Roma tomato, diced

1 half red onion, diced

1 cup chopped cilantro (fresh)

Juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

8 egg roll wrappers (they will be frozen purchase 1 day ahead to thaw in the fridge)

Cilantro Dipping Sauce

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves ( loosely packed)

1/3 cup of sour cream ( may substitute with Greek yogurt)

1 jalapeno seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves

Juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

Instructions

To make the cilantro dipping sauce, combine cilantro, sour cream or Greek yogurt, jalapeno, mayonnaise, garlic and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet (I personally use a cast iron Dutch oven)

In a bowl, gently mash avocados using a fork or potato masher. Add tomato, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper and gently toss.

One at a time place 2 tbsp. in the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper looking at the illustrated instructions on the packaging. Make sure to rub the edges with water and pressing to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and avocado mixture.

Working in batches, add egg rolls to Dutch oven or pan and fry until evenly golden brown and crispy. This should take 2-3 minutes. Make sure the heat of your oil is on a medium heat so you do not burn the wonton wrapper.

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate

Serve with dipping sauce

This came out way better than I thought it would.

Batter: 1 3/4 cups of flour,  1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tbsp of old bay, 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper,  a pinch of salt, 1 cup of water.
You can always change the measurements of Ingredients to make the batter thicker or thinner or even make a larger batch.You can season the chicken with any spices that you choose. I used salt, pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, and paprika. I used chicken breast sliced thin for a quick fry so the batter wouldn’t burn. This batter also works well with chicken thighs too. Next time I think I will cut the chicken breast into chunks before frying to make them bite size pieces. For oil for dying I prefer to use canola, but you can use any oil that you like. Hope you enjoy!

Walnut Vinaigrette

¼ Cup of walnut oil                                                                          ¼ cup of olive oil

1 cup of orange juice                                                                      salt and pepper (to your liking)

3 to 4 cloves of garlic minced                                                       shredded Parmesan

1 tsp of red pepper flakes                                                            ¼ cup of lemon juice

The best way I have made this is adding all of the ingredients and slowly whisking in the olive oil and walnut oil and add the Parmesan cheese at the end. Pour the mixture over your favorite Kale ( either Tuscan or regular) and let it sit for no less than 20 minutes. If your pressed for time like I always am you can use your favorite pulp free orange juice or if you can freshly squeeze 2 to 3 oranges.  It’s so good. Before eating toss  with a little more Parmesan cheese and chopped walnuts. Enjoy!!

Mole

1 ½ cups of smoked almonds                                                      4 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup of raisins                                                                                  3 canned chipotles in adobo sauce

2 tbsp of ground cumin                                                                 1 tbsp of adobo sauce

3 tsp of ground cinnamon                                                            6 cloves of garlic

1 vidalia onion/ sweet onion                                                       4 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp of salt

This mole can used for any meat of your choice. Steak, chicken or pork. I used chicken and it always comes out full of flavor and good.

What I love about this vegetable is that you have many different ways to cook it. This time my cuts were long and I mixed them with garlic, brown sugar, salt , pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Roasted them for 45-55 minutes in a 400 degree oven. They were so good.

         That moment when you have eggplant from the farm and you have no clue what to do with it.

2 cups of flour                                                                                                   2 cups of Italian bread crumbs

4 eggs                                                                                                                  2tsp. of water

1 cup of shredded Parmesan or pecorino cheese                                       2 medium eggplant (shaved and diced)

2 cups of oil for frying (whichever you prefer)

First you will need 3 separate bowls. In one bowl add the flour. Add the Italian bread crumbs and add half of the cheese. You may add a little salt and pepper or any other spices to make it your own dish. (Smoked paprika may be nice) Mix well. Beat the four eggs into the third bowl and add the 2 tsp. of water. Take a piece of eggplant and dip into the flour until completely covered. Next dip it into the egg wash and last the breadcrumbs. Repeat this until all of your pieces of eggplant are covered. If you run out that’s okay, just add a little more of what you may need. Let you eggplant pieces sit for a while before frying to make sure that your breading sticks. You may also do this ahead of time and place them in the refrigerator. Just remember if you do this make sure you let the eggplant come to room temperature before frying. Fry your eggplant to a golden brown. After frying place the eggplant onto a paper towel to drain. Remember don’t overcrowd your pan so that your batches fry evenly. After each batch use the left over cheese to sprinkle on top and a little salt. You may also garnish with Italian parsley.  Enjoy!

Corn Fritters

2 cups of corn                                                                                                         1½ cups of flour

2 eggs                                                                                                                       1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp smoked paprika                                                                                         ½ cup of milk

1½ cups grated mature cheddar                                                                        Olive oil

1 tsp of salt

1. In a large bowl, combine corn kernels, creamed corn, eggs, cheddar, smoked paprika and salt and mix well.
2. Sift in the flour I the baking powder and mix well.
3. Slowly stir in the milk until the batter is not too thick and drops off a spoon easily. (The batter should not be so thin that it spreads too much when the cakes are being fried).
4. Heat a large frying pan and add about an inch of oil.
5. Using a regular tablespoon spoon the batter and gently drop into the hot oil. When bubbles begin to appear in the batter it is time to gently flip the fritters over. Cook about the same amount of time on the other side and remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain.

When serving your fritters serve them nice and warm with salsa or guacamole. Or maybe an avocado salsa.

Chicken Chorizo Gumbo with Shrimp

1 green pepper, chopped                                                                    4 cups of chicken broth

3 garlic cloves, chopped                                                                       1 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 Tbsp. of smoked paprika                                                                       1 can of diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp. of tomato paste                                                                       1 medium sweet onion, chopped

Cook chorizo in a 4 to 6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat until a layer of fat forms. Transfer the cooked chorizo to a plate or bowl.

Add the celery, green pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook this until vegetable are translucent without burning the garlic stirring constantly for about 10 minutes. Place in bowl or on plate with chorizo.

Add canola oil to the pot, whisk in the flour until the mixture thickens and turns a medium brown. Be careful not to burn the flour. Whisk in the broth.

Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste along with the vegetables in chorizo to the pot. Then add the chicken and paprika.

Bring to a boil, simmer gently for about an hour, uncovered.

After an hour remove the chicken from the pot and shred with a fork.

Return the chicken to the pot and add shrimp.

Cook until shrimp just turn pink. Be careful not overcook the shrimp. The shrimp will continue to cook in the sauce even after the Dutch oven is removed from the heat.

Serve over any preferred rice.

Hope you enjoy!

Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp

1 teaspoon canola oil                                                                                ⅓ cup of light coconut milk or regular coconut milk

½ cup chopped onion                                                                                2 teaspoons of fish sauce

¼ teaspoon red curry paste                                                                     ¼ cup chopped green onions

1 teaspoon of sugar                                                                                  1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

12 ounces (1 lb.) of peeled and deveined shrimp

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and curry paste to the pan, and saute` for 1 minute stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in sugar; saute` 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently.
3. Stir in coconut milk and fish sauce; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated.
4. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and basil.

Serve over rice.

I always add a little more red curry paste and use regular coconut milk. When making the rice I sometimes add coconut mild instead of water to give the rice a little more flavor.

Hope you enjoy!