Category: Side Dish

Recipe courtesy Joshua Adam Garcia

Ingredients:
•2 quarts water
•2 medium sized zucchini, bias cut
•2 medium sized summer squash, bias cut
•3 ounces achiote oil (olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon annatto seed), divided
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•8 ounces broccolini
•2 tablespoons pine nuts
•2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
•4 cherry tomatoes, halved
•1 tablespoon butter
•1/2 ounce aged balsamic vinegar, for garnish

Directions:
Bring water to a boil. Preheat grill to high heat.

Toss zucchini and squash in 1 ounce achiote oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Drop broccolini in boiling water for 2 minutes or until slightly wilted while preserving color.

Place seasoned zucchini and squash on hot grill. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Heat a saute pan over low heat. Add pine nuts and toast lightly. Set aside. Add remaining 2 ounces achiote oil to the heated saute pan. Add the blanched broccolini and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Increase to medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic and continue to cook until slightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add grilled zucchini, summer squash and halved cherry tomatoes. Add butter and toss lightly until butter melts. Plate and drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar, garnishing with toasted pine nuts.

Prep Time: 20 min (it took me more than that)
Level: Easy (but time consuming)
Serves:
4 servings
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons chipotle pepper puree
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 head Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1/4 pound snow peas, julienned
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• Chili oil, optional
• Grilled lime halves, for garnish
Directions
Whisk together the vinegar, peanut butter, ginger, chipotle pepper puree, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and canola oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Combine cabbage, lettuce, carrots, snow peas, cilantro, and green onion in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to combine.
Transfer to a serving platter and top with the shredded chicken, chopped peanuts, and mint. Drizzle with chili oil, if desired. Garnish with grilled lime halves.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup finely diced red onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/3 cups whole milk
4 large eggs
½ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
½ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup blue cornmeal
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons salt

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12 slot
muffin pan with non-stick vegetable spray.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Divide the mixture evenly among two large bowls.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, honey, bell pepper, jalapeno, corn, cilantro and honey. Pour the mixture into a measuring cup and add half of the mixture to each of the large bowls containing the onion mixture.
4. Put the blue cornmeal and yellow cornmeal in two separate bowls. To each bowl, add 2/3 cup flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda and 2 teaspoons salt. Mix each cornmeal mixture into a bowl with the liquid mixture.
5. Pour an equal amount of each batter side by side into each muffin cup and bake for about 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. The batters can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.