Corn Cucumber Salad

Grilled corn is delicious and sweet!

4 ears of corn

1 1/2 English cucumbers

1/2 red onion, small dice

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Drizzle of olive oil 

Grill the corn without the husks on, so you can get char marks. Take a sharp knife and cut off the corn kernels. I recommend English cucumbers because they are seedless. Small dice your cucumber and add that. Toss with onions, cilantro, salt, honey, and the vinegars. Drizzle olive oil to taste. 

This salad is incredibly refreshing at BBQs or another outdoor event. It is sweet, crisp, and acidic. Feel free to add more ingredients! Feta cheese, avocado, or tomatoes are a welcome addition!

Caramelized Cocoa Nibs

Do you ever get that sudden, massive, overpowering craving for chocolate, and if you don't get any in the next three minutes you may cause serious bodily harm to those around you? Chocolate is delicious...andddd full of fat, calories, and excessive amounts of sugar. Here is a snack that is actually healthy for you, made with cocoa nibs!

3 grams cocoa nibs, raw

2 grams granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon butter

Take your cocoa and sugar and put it in a pot. High heat is fastest, but you can use medium heat if you'd prefer. Constantly stir the cocoa. In 5-8 minutes you should begin to see the sugar melting. Continue to stir until all the sugar is melted (8-10 minutes). Gently add the butter and stir until fully incooperated. Spread out on some parchment paper until cool. Crush either in your hands or in a bag.

I use these many ways. I always sprinkle some in my oatmeal in the morning. I snack on them before bed. I put them in my cereals. They're really delicious in salads, or even on your frozen yogurt! 

Enjoy!

Sautéed Duck

Duck is a delicious protein. It is higher in fat than chicken, but worth every bite. This duck I served with a strawberry cactus pear compote and an arugula salad with some strawberries and yellow bell peppers and the duck is garnished with mushrooms. 

The cactus pear compote was the most complicated and time consuming, so  I'll explain it first. 

2 cactus pears

1 pear

6 large strawberries 

1 tablespoon honey 

Cactus pears are tricky to clean because of their excessive amounts of seeds. The easiest way is to peel the outsides off (be careful of the prickles!) and blend them. Their seeds are incredibly hard - they bite like tiny rocks. Those seeds won't get blended, and you can just strain the puréed juice. Put on the stove with the pears after skinning and dicing it. Let simmer for 15 minutes before adding the strawberries, roughly chopped. Simmer for another 10 minutes before adding your honey. I used fresh honey comb, but you can use whatever honey you'd like. Fresh honey comb is full of pollen and other nutrients that are good for you! 

The mushrooms are simply sautéed in a small amount of vegetable oil. 

The duck is hard seared on both sides, and sliced after allowing for a 3-4 minute resting period. 

Enjoy !!

Spinach, Feta, Garlic

Take your garlic and sauté in a dash of oil until lightly browned. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Add feta cheese to taste (I added enough to have some in each bite). 

I normally have some browned onions in here as well, but all of mine were bad. 

Enjoy !