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*Chef Jim's Favorite Recipes*

Chef Jim's Page

Chef Jim Products -
coming soon

Graduate of Art
Institute of Atlanta,
School of Culinary
Arts, class of 1993

Cooking should not be a challenge to one's sanity and
safety. Nice and easy is my motto. Preparing a meal should
be treated as a form of Zen meditation, although keeping
one's eyes open while chopping is a good idea.

Chef Jim

Cooking Tips
Safety:
1. Keep knives sharp -- dull knives are dangerous. Stones are
best but simple mechanical sharpeners you find at the
grocery store will work. Keep a chef's steel handy to knock
off burrs on blade.

2. Beware of cross contamination. Never cut different meats
on the same cutting board or use the same knife. Wash hands
often while cooking. Sanitize cutting boards regularly with a
bleach and hot water soak.

3. Beware of food temperatures. Danger zone is 40 degrees to
140. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. DO not thaw
frozen food and refreeze. Freezing does not stop bacterial
growth. It only slows it.

Cooking:

1. Cook healthy. Try using less sodium while cooking. Use
Potassium salt or flavorers like lemon juice and spices.

2. Fresh frozen vegetables have little or no sodium, as
opposed to canned vegetables. Fresh products are even
better.

3. Black pepper can get old and lose its flavor quickly after
grinding. Use fresh ground pepper whenever possible.

4. When using hot peppers, always use less than you think
you need. Some peppers gain heat during cooking process.
Heat order is, cool to hot: Bell, Poblano Anaheim, Jalapeno,
Serrano, Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, Naga Jolokia.

Measured in Scovile units for heat, Bells =0, Anaheim =5,000,
Jalapeno=10,000, African Birdseye = 100,000,
Habanero=300,000, Naga Jolokia (India) =1,000,000

Eat hot peppers wisely, remove seed and ribs. Roasted
peppers have a smoky, rich taste but lose no heat. Wash
hands with soap after preparing. Never rub your eyes during
preparation. Some peppers can blister severely.

   Tomato, Okra and Squash with Basil

2 large fresh tomatoes, diced. Keep juice.
2-6 each: Yellow squash, sliced
            Zucchini, sliced
            Okra pods, sliced
1 small onion, fine diced
1 clove garlic, fine diced
butter
salt/pepper
1 tsp. chopped basil

Saute onion and garlic in 1 tbl. oil and 1 tbl. butter until
transparent. Drain butter and oil.
Preheat a pot on low-med. heat. Add tomatoes, squash,
etc. Save basil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Cook on low-med. Heat until tender. Add basil, salt and
pepper again to taste.

Fresh vegetables go great with any meat dish or alone

                                         Carrot-Apple Salad

Often a quick and easy salad can set the tone for a meal. Salads can be filling and wake
up the flavor buds for an especially tasty dish.

2 medium tart apples,peeled and shredded. Granny Smiths are excellent.
2 cups shredded carrots
3 tbl. raisins
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. pepper

Dressing: 1/4 cup plain yogurt
             1/4 cup mayo or salad dressing

Mix ingredients, add dressing slowly, coating well. Remember, don't drown the salad.

Sausage and Summer Veggie Saute

Nothing Beats sausages. They come in many varieties and ingredients. Choose one you like.
Pork sausages are always a good bet - juicy and spicy.

4 (5-6 oz.) Pork sausages
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup chopped sweet onion (Vidalia is great)
1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
1/4 cup rough chopped dill

Simmer sausages in water, covered, over medium heat for 7 minutes. Uncover and cook 7-10
more minutes turning sausages until water is evaporated. (Some sausages will require 1 tbl.
oil) PUll sausages and set aside.
Add onion and fennel and saute 7 minutes until transparent. Add corn and dill and saute 2
additional minutes. Add sausages.

White beans make a great side for this dish, as will dill roasted red potatoes.

Grilled Chicken Breast with Honeydew Salsa

Spicy grilled chicken with a sweet/sour salsa is perfect for summer evenings on the patio.

1 1/2 cups finely diced honeydew melon (Seeded, peeled of course)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tbl. lime juice
2 tbl. olive oil
2 tbl. white vinegar
1 tsp. finely chopped and seeded Serrano chili . (About 50,000 Scoville Units. Jalapeno can
be used instead for less heat.

4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on.
Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne. Grill abut 5 minutes per side on
medium high grill.

Mix all salsa ingredients and spoon over chicken.

Great stuff!! Try other fruit salsas, such as papaya or mango. Mix chilis for a unique taste
and heat. Try roasted chilis for a smokier flavor with less heat.

Five cool and hot summer recipes bound to please both the
cook and the diners.

                  Summer Apple Chicken Salad

                       A summer cool, lo-cal treat .

Meat from one roasted chicken, skinned, shredded, chopped.
1 small or 1/2 large sweet apple fine dice
1 stalk celery fine dice

Sauce: 1/2 cup plain yogurt
           1/2 cup mayonaise
           1 tbl. red wine vinegar
           1 squirt yellow mustard
           1 teaspoon honey
           s/p
Mix until medium consistency

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly, add sauce a little at a time until wet
enough to stick together. Do not drown chicken. Taste. Adjust s/p if
needed.
Flavored or herb roasted chicken adds flavor. Save time by buying it
pre-roasted at the grocery. Serve on toasted crouton rounds or as a
side. Delicious and healthy.
note: Very fine chopped walnuts can be added, but check for allergies.

I just added a new summer Apple/Chicken Salad
recipe to this page. Check it out.

Chef Jim, 9-11-09