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Sunday, October 14, 2012

The Best Wings I've Ever Made

Lately the majority of my cooking has been oriented towards a healthy life and taking off the 25 pounds that I put on when I moved from southern California to northern California and began cooking like crazy.

Having said that, Game Day is still something I take seriously, and although my beloved San Francisco 49ers came up short against their opponent, my Game Day menu brought praise. The Lineup:

  • Italian sausage paninis with garlic mayo, mozzarella, and a caramelized trio of onion, garlic, and red bell pepper
  • Soy-molasses wings with peanut sauce
With the sausage paninis being as straightforward as the title would suggest, I'll only describe the wings, as they were a hit (and my first time doing them):

1. Place approx 20 wings in a wide shallow bowl. Drizzle/sprinkle with:
  • 1 tbs molasses
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 2 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/4 low sodium soy
  • 1 tsp sriracha sauce (Rooster sauce)
  • ~ 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ~ 1 tsp black pepper
2. Toss with tongs and let set at room temperature for 45 minutes.
3. Grill and when done, toss in 1/4 cup of the peanut sauce, reserving the rest for dipping.
4. Peanut sauce ingredients:
  • 1 cup cream peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy
  • 2 tbs red chili paste
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tbs white vinegar
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and then thin the sauce and season to taste using soy and vinegar. If desired taste is reached before the desired consistency, use up to 3 tbs hot water.

In addition to making awesome Game Day food, I've also been really into salads, eating one every night as my staple. In the desire to not get burnt out I have been really creative in my approach, and this is one I have yet to tire of:

"The Meal" with a warm shallot vinaigrette:
  • 1/2 cup chopped spinach
  • 1/2 cup chopped kale
  • 1/2 cup arugula
  • several thin slices of red onion
  • 1/4 cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1 cup roasted vegetables*
  • 2 tbs chopped walnuts
  • 2 tbs dried cranberries
  • 1 tbs goat cheese
1. Combine all ingredients except the walnuts, cranberries, and goat cheese
2. Make the vinaigrette:
  • Saute 2 finely chopped shallots in 1/4 cup good olive oil until transulcent
  • Whisk in 1 tbs dijon mustard, 1 tbs honey, 1 tsp kosher salt and bit of fresh cracked black pepper until thoroughly mixed
  • Add 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • Taste, if necessary add up to 1/4 cup more vinegar to taste
3. Toss the majority of the warm vinaigrette over the salad. 
4. Plate salad and top with the goat cheese, cranberries, and walnuts as well as leftover vinaigrette.

*Roasted veg: Chop into large pieces any veg you like, drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and roast for 25 minutes at 375 F. My favorite medley is yellow squash, zucchini, brown button mushrooms, white/yellow onion, whole garlic cloves and bell pepper.