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Larson
James
Warkentin

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Tropical Mahi Mahi

11/9/2022

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Fresh fish prepared Tropical style. Mahi Mahi fresh off the boat in the beautiful tropical waters of south Florida- and now in your home. Pan roasted Mahi Mahi with a tropical sauce and salsa, sautéed vegetables with toasted coconut and parsnip.
Mahi Mahi also known as Dorado has thick filets of whiteish flesh and stay firm when cooked but what makes it special is it is a little flaky and moist. A fresh cut of Dorado is perfect for a quick and unique dinner, something special and delicious.  
For this recipe start with a fresh Mahi filet. Season the fish with a little salt and pepper then sear in a hot pan with 3 tbsp of oil. Cook the fish for about 5 minutes on each side while basting with hot oil that is in the pan. Ounce the flesh turns white and is slightly flaky the fish is ready. Squeeze a ¼ of a lemon and orange over the fish then remove from pan and hold for plating.
For the tropical sauce boil and reduce 3 cups of orange, pineapple, guava and mango juices.  Reduce down to ½ a cup until syrupy then add 2 tbsp. Rice wine vinegar. 
Instead of potatoes a lighter approach is creamy parsnip. Peel and slit 3 parsnips and boil until soft. Place in blender with ⅓ cup chicken stock, 1 tsp. butter and  1 tsp. cream. Blend on high until creamy and slightly airy. Makes for a great creamy base with rich flavor.
Place a scoop of puree in the front center of the plate with the Mahi Mahi on top with vegetables along the side. Top with tropical sauce, salsa and toasted coconut.  Finish the plate with a lemon wedge and micro greens or fresh herbs. 
This is a wonderful fish entree with a unique twist that will leave you wanting more with its light taste and tropical flavors. This dish is unique but fairly easy to make. Enjoy
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Carne Asada Steak

11/7/2022

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​   A local favorite Carne Asada is back. This is an exciting dinner of Marinated Carne Asada Steak with Spanish rice, beans, grilled squash, pico de gallo and guacamole. Here are the recipes and method to make the whole meal plus some tips, which make our version unique. 
   
  The signature flavors for this dish come from the marinated beef. Two good cuts of beef to use are flank steak or skirt steak. Flank is leaner and has a strong meaty flavor whereas skirt is juicer, but less tender, so usually it is only cooked medium rare. In this recipe we use skirt steak Thicker pieces of meat tend to have better marbleizing of fat and are more tender: so purchase a thicker piece and then slice into thin, flat pieces.


   The marinating process not only adds flavor, but also helps tenderize the meat. For the marinade, take 2 pounds of skirt steak and place in a bag with the juice of 2 limes, 4 cloves crushed garlic, ½ cup orange juice, 1 cup chopped cilantro, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, ¼ cup canola oil, 1 minced jalapeño, 2 tbs. white vinegar, and 4 tbs. soy sauce. Seal the bag and move the meat and liquid around making sure all the meat is exposed to the marinade and refrigerate overnight.

   Cook on a hot, wood burning grill for a great smoky flavor, or if cooking in the house, you can use a cast iron grill on high heat. Take the meat out of the marinade and pat dry, season with salt and pepper rub with a little canola oil and grill for 7 minutes on each side. Everyone will enjoy the nice aroma, the crispy grill marks and juicy beef. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes then slice against the grain of the meat, the direction of lines that go across the meat, and then it is ready to serve.

​    Serve a nice big plate of Carne Asada with the beans, rice, salsa, mole, corn and tortillas for a classic grill from South of the Border.
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Big Game Burger

11/4/2021

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Plant Based - vegan- In n Out style Burger

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Larson Warkentin
Coto News
January 28, 20



Big Game Burger
                From Your Personal Chef                                                                                        Larson Warkentin                                                         
A Coto de Caza News Culinary Adventure
   
With the big game coming this Sunday we would like to offer you a burger that is as good if not better than the most popular burger around. With the request of Coto de Caza residents this burger will be all plant based. I’m sure you will have enough meat to go around on the big day so this burger will be a nice change that will impress your guests and tastes fantastic, leaving everyone not only feeling great but also wondering how vegan could be so good.
One fun thing about making the burgers yourself in your own home is you get to pick the toppings. With that we decided to add avocado and we are even working on a vegan bacon for our next batch of burgers. What is nice about the veggie patties is they can be used in multiple dishes such as chili cheese nachos. If you like you can contact me for a dairy free plant-based nacho cheese sauce or check back in a future article.

This burger has all the tastes and textures of the original with a vegan special sauce, crispy shoe string potato fries, butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes, plant-based patty and micro onion greens; all on a thin toasted whole wheat bun. This burger is so tasty and pure you won’t feel heavier tired after eating it so you will be able to sample more offerings and maybe play some football yourself. The avocado is a great addition with its creamy and rich taste. Once you have this burger you won’t want to go back.

This recipe will make 8 large patties and you can never have too much of this recipe. You can use these patties in any recipe that calls for beef and any extras will last up to a week in the refrigerator. These burgers are hearty, chewy and hold together well giving it a meat like texture and flavor. The recipe may seem a little time consuming but the finished product is worth it!

In a food processor blend 1 cup rolled oats into a flour and place in a bowl. Take 3 tbsp ground flax seed and mix with ½ cup water and add to bowl. Toast ½ cup walnuts and ½ cup sunflower seeds and hold on the side. In a pan with 2 tbsp olive oil start sautéing ½ onion, 2 cloves garlic and 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms for 4 minutes. Add ½ cup grated carrots and ½ a cup grated sweet potato, cook for 5 minutes. Add 1½ cups cooked lentils and 1 cup cooked chickpeas. Add toasted walnuts and sunflower seeds. Pulse mixture in food processor until everything is chopped, but still has some texture. Add mixture to the bowl. Mix everything together and add ¼ cup chopped parsley and ½ cup bread crumbs. Season the mixture with 2 tbsp. tamari, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. black pepper and 1 tbsp. salt. Using wet hands so the mixture doesn’t stick to them, portion into 8 patties and place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper and sprayed with oil. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes then gently flip the patties over and bake for another 20 minutes. Let the patties cool before serving, this will allow them to firm up.
For the special sauce take ½ cup aquafaba, which is the water from cooked beans. The cooking water from the chickpeas works well. Put into blender with 1 tbsp mustard and 1 garlic clove. On high speed slowly blend in 1 ½ cups oil to make a mayonnaise. Chill for 1 hour. To turn the mayo into a special sauce take 1 cup mayo and mix in 4 tbsp. ketchup, 2 tbsp. diced onion, 1 tbsp. diced sweet gherkins and a little chili sauce for a kick.

For the crispy shoestring potatoes peel 1 potato and slice on a mandolin. Blanch in a large pot of water for 1 minute then strain and pat dry. Take a pot with ½ inch of oil and in batches fry the potatoes until golden brown and crispy.
Assemble the burger patty on top of a toasted whole wheat bun with special sauce then top the patty with butter lettuce, avocado, cherry tomatoes, micro onion greens or caramelized onions. Top it off with a pile of crispy potatoes and the other side of the bun with more sauce.

This burger is not only good for you, it is also non harming to animals and the environment. It tastes so great it can become the new favorite burger of Coto de Caza and is sure to be a touchdown at the big game party.
To see more of what we have been cooking, have any questions, or if you would like to try any of our specials, you can reach me at Chefjameslarson.com
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Ginger Elixir

11/3/2021

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Ginger  Elixir

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Ginger Elixir is great tasting and Great for you. Give Your Body what it needs. Reduce inflammation, boost your digestion + metabolism, increase energy, boost immunity, helps with  allergies.
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Made with young organic ginger, spring water, local honey, fresh squeezed lemons

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Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry

11/1/2021

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Coconut Curry Broth

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Sesame and Soy pressed and Marinated Tofu, Brown Rice, Broccoli, Chickpeas Stew with Sweet Potato, Carrot Yellow Squash, Spices of Ginger, Garlic, Cumin, Coriander, in a Coconut Broth with Micro Kohlrabi.
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Vegan Southwestern Fajitas

10/30/2021

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Marinated Tofu with a Spicy Kick

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Fajita Vegetables, Lentils, Rice, Avocado, Pressed and Marinated Tofu, Mix Greens, Micro Broccoli, Spicy Salsa on a Flax Seed Lavash
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Healthy Waffles

10/27/2021

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Simply Healthy Breakfast, Quick and Easy

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Whole Wheat Flour, Banana, Baking Powder, Vanilla, Coconut Milk
​Topped with fresh strawberries and Maple 
syrup 
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Vegetable Pasta

10/8/2021

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A Pasta Dish Made with All Vegetables

Who says you need a grain to make pasta, with this recipe we transform vegetables into spaghetti shaped noodles for a great Vegan and Gluten free dish
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Green and Yellow Zucchini cut on a mandolin into spaghetti shaped noodles, Roasted Portobello, Artichoke , Asparagus in a sauce made from roasted peppers, tomato and garlic garnished with Broccoli Micro Greens.
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Eggplant Pizza

10/7/2021

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Crispy Eggplant with Almond Crust - Roasted Vegetables in a Tomato Basil Sauce
Slice the Eggplant, Salt, rest, then squeeze out the moisture. Bread with Flour, Aquafaba, and ground Almond Flour - Bake at 400, 15 minutes each side. Roast Carrot, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onion, Bell pepper and Asparagus and mix in a Fresh Made Tomato Basil Sauce. Garnished with Micro Kohlrabi
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Not All Juices Are Created Equal

9/16/2021

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Everyone knows you're supposed to eat your vegetables, but most people don’t eat the recommended amount. Pretty much everyone dose not make it, a lot don’t even come close. To be honest you would have to be a Horse to eat all those raw vegetables and absorb their nutrients.  Fresh juice can help provide a healthy, disease free, full of energy life. To get a good, rich, healthy juice you use a literal pile of produce, I mean a-lot, that’s why the joke about the horse. By grinding and breaking down the fibers you are releasing the juice full of enzymes, proteins, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals of the healthy plants direct to blood cells to be fully absorbed.  
The produce you use for the juice is very important, what ever is in it is going to go into your body. Only the best ingredients can be used, it should be local, organic, sustainable farm to market produce no pesticides or waxes. If you go to any place that is making juices you better make sure, ask them to show you or pass it up.
The way the juice is prepared is also important. A big problem here is most juicers are centrifugal or masticating, and these are not very good. Even if the juicer looks fancy and cost a lot if it works in those methods, which most due, you're not getting the most out of your juice. These juicers make too much heat in the grinding process, incorporate too much air in the extraction and are too rough and bruise the juice killing those precious enzymes.
A 2 stage cold press is the best way to make your juice. This is where you grind the pulp separately and mix the pulp, also called the Mash, this process makes an enzyme reaction rising the nutrients 10% or more. Then you wrap it and press it slowly, with thousands of pounds of force, squeezing all the goodness out for you. This is the healthiest and best tasting juice.

Here is a  great recipe for you to try
Green Juice:
Spinach - 1 cups
Kale - 2 cups
Pineapple - 1/3, no skin
Green Apple - 2 each, no stem or seeds
Celery - 1/2 a bunch
Micro Greens - 1 cup
Lemon - 1 each, juiced separately 
Remember only the best produce. Wash, cut to size, grind, mix, wrap in cheese cloth, press and collect that great juice. Drink and enjoy, your body certainly will.​

For any questions or help just ask
 
​Formally trained at the C.I.A in New York. I have a passion for cooking for families and colleagues, providing them with food that is nourishing for the body and soul. My goal is to make enriching foods to make you feel great, stay fit and full of energy, making positive goodness for the world.



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    Hello I am a Orange County Native with a passion for life and Food with everything that comes with it.
    Enjoy a healthy full life with me
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