Brazilian Chicken Salad (Salpicão)

Are you guys pumped for the World Cup?
I’m literally buzzing.
The Opening Ceremony in Sao Paolo is today at 2pm, and then the focus will fall on Brazil as they get the World Cup underway against Croatia.
Afterwards the two biggest heavyweight fights of the first round arrive in short order: Spain against the Netherlands on Friday - a rematch of the final played in South Africa 4 years ago - and England against Italy on Saturday.
On Monday, the United States plays its first match, against Ghana.
Hurray!
One thing though before we proceed any further, are we going to refer to it as the Soccer World Cup? or the Football World Cup?
Football is the original name and the official name picked by the Int Federation.
FIFA -> Fédération Internationale de Football Association.
In the majority of Europe and the world it is officially known and called Football. But in the US and Australia (and a couple of other places), it’s called soccer.
So for the sake of simplicity can we all agree for once and call it just the World Cup?

Thai-Flavored Honey Glazed Chicken (with Sriracha Mayo)

This recipe was instigated by a Bikram yoga class last night.
To be precise, it popped into my head while I was doing Full Locust Pose (also known as Pūrṇaśalabhāsana).
And I hate that pose. With all of my heart.
In Full Locust, you‘re basically laying down onto the belly, with the forehead on the floor and arms out to the side like airplane wings. From there you should (or at least try to) lift your body off the floor: head, neck, shoulder, feet, legs and hold the pose for the 10 seconds (that - trust me - feel like a lifetime!)
I suck badly at this pose. So bad, I often wuss out.
To be honest, I suck at Bikram yoga altogether. That's why I love it. It’s very humbling.
After 5 years of practice I have improved. Bikram is completely therapeutic and it helps with all my pain and aches that are a result of an intense athletic life.
But I still have a long way to go.

Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)

“I had a dream so big and loud
I jumped so high I touched the clouds
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh [2x]
I stretched my hands out to the sky
We danced with monsters through the night
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh [2x]”
Sometimes I hear song and it sounds so perfect rhythmically or the lyrics are so good that it bores into my head and it doesn’t let go. There, stuck.
I keep playing it on my iPod over and over again, and I keep hearing it in my head.
Take for instance “Best Of My Day My Life” by American Authors (FIY, lyrics above).
A good song, not a great one.
Certainly not as epic as “Here Comes Your Man” by The Pixies.
Still good, good enough that the other day it attacked me and stuck inside my head for the whole day.
I went for a 10 miles run and I swear, it was the only song I played on the iPod for the whole 1 hour and 5 minutes it took me to complete the run.
The song lasts 3:14, meaning that I’ve played it about 20 times...I know...

Zucchini with Basil, Mint & Lemon

Sometimes you need something simple.
Like that one time when at a friend’s bbq party you ate something like 8 ribs, a couple of burgers and 100 honey glazed chicken thighs. No wonder afterwards the dog was trying to bite your calf, he no longer saw you as a human being but rather as a walking sirloin steak. Not like that happened to me or anything lol.
Any-hoo, as I was saying, sometimes you need something simple and also light, fresh and nutritious. Something that will make you feel less guilty for all the meat you engorged.
Behold people: enters zucchini with basil, mint & lemon.
This is quite an unusual side dish to serve at a barbecue — where the potato salad reigns supreme.
But trust me, success is guaranteed.
It’s terribly simple to make, and it’s fantastic because it’s a nice little side dish that goes great with barbecued meat or fish, but also with other things like mozzarella, goat’s cheese or cured meats.
It’s light, green, fresh and so delicious.

5 Napkin Meatballs with Rosemary Aioli

The Original 5 Napkin Burger is one of the best burgers in town. Period.
You don’t agree with me? Then bring it on...there’s nothing I like more than discussing what’s the best burger in town.
With my friend Kelly we can argue for hours about it. We are opinionated people, and this is especially true on the subject of burgers.
We have researched long and hard to find the best burger in town.
Some we love, some we like and some we don’t care at all.
Burger Joint at Le Meridien, Corner Bistro, Dram Shop, Black Iron, Burger & Barrel, Bill’s Burger, Shake Shack, are some of our fave.
But year after year, the 5 Napkin Burger still holds a place in our hearts (and stomachs!)

Simple Kofta Burgers

Breaking News: The sky is blue, it’s warm outside, we’re wearing shorts (and flip-flops) and grilling season is officially on.
Two weeks ago it was still cold and miserable. Now it starting to look like it’s going to be summer after all.
Who knew?
Summer and barbecue have always gone together, well, like summer and barbecue.
And when you've got hot coals going, it is a natural instinct to grill up some burgers.
The two go hand in hand, just like summer and barbecue.
If we were to apply the transitive property of equality: if summer means barbecue and barbecue means burger ⇒ then summer means burgers.
In other words, burgers are summer. Let me rephrase that, burgers are the epitome of summer.
Another breaking news, people. As you may have noticed, today I’m all about pulling rabbits out of the hat.
Any-hoo...beef, buffalo, turkey, veggies, tofu or salmon, having a burger is never more satisfying than when you make it yourself.
So in the unlikely event that you haven't fired up your grill yet, these juicy, delicious and simple kofta burgers are the perfect motivation to do it.

Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce

What part of the newspaper do you read first?
Not surprisingly, I read the sports section first.
I enjoy sports. I love doing sports. Probably I have an unhealthy passion for sports.
Football, tennis, athletics, soccer, basketball - not to mention triathlon - I pretty much want to know all about ut. Who’s doing good. Who’s doing O.K. Who’s doing bad.
After the sport section I usually go to the comics. The comics always amuse and relax me.
Which is a good state of mind to have before getting into the heavy stuff like World news, business, op-ed and all that kind of Jazz.
Let's talk about comics for a minute. I love - more like worship - Calvin and Hobbes.
It’s been my fave comic since I was 10 (i.e., since I was able to read and understand wittiness and humor!)

Chicken Shawarma with Lime Avocado Mayo

To be honest, this recipe should actually be called Shawarma-style chicken.
The real shawarma (i.e., how they actually make it in the Middle East) is spice-marinated sliced cuts of meat, like chicken, beef, goat, lamb, and sometimes turkey stacked and cooked on a vertical spit.
As the shawarma turns, the meat is cooked by a heat source that is located behind the actual spit.
What’s amazing is that the meat is basted in fat and its own juices.
Marinade + fat = awesome flavors.
Afterwards, the cooked meat slowly falls off or is shaved with a large knife; and it is either eaten on its own or tucked inside a pita, with tahini, garlic sauce, veggies and sometimes even french fries.
Legit.

The Best Eggplant Patties

Today I want to be obnoxious and snobby.
So I labeled these patties as “the best”.
To be honest, I always think it’s very pretentious to name a recipe “the best” of anything.
Best means “of the most excellent or desirable type or quality”; so who can actually claim that something they’ve made is the best?
Unless you’re Daniel Boulud or Ferran Adrià, then you probably can. Running a bunch of Michelin starred restaurant grants some of sort of authority in that department.
But for the rest of us - commoner cooks - it’s better to take a more understated approach.
Something can be good, amazing, awesome, mouthwatering, but the best? That’s too much.
However, sometimes you make something and you just knock it outta of the park. Just like that.
And there’s no better way to describe what you’ve just made than “the best!”
This situation here is sort of the best eggplant patties I’ve ever had . Like, ever. So here we are with this super pretentious recipe title. Sorry folks.

(Paleo) Caramel Sauce

It’s caramel time people.
I know it may sound a bit equivocal, here I am, presenting you with supposedly healthy recipes and talking about nutrition and then throwing in your face a recipe for caramel sauce.
But you see there’s caramel sauce made with loads of sugar, butter and heavy cream and then there’s caramel sauce made with coconut milk, honey and coconut oil. And it is, to put it mildly, amazeballs!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming that this Paleo version of caramel will make you healthier or increase your lifespan, but of one thing I’m sure: it will improve your mood dramatically.
Let’s say you feel like the biggest loser on the face of the earth, and want to hang your head in shame; you take a spoonful of this caramel sauce and Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo: rainbows, unicorns and puppies.
Seriously, it is a known fact that happiness is one of the biggest keys to longevity, and this Paleo caramel sauce is guaranteed to make you happier, and generally more amazing. Trust.
To be honest, it is probably healthier too. No refined sugars, no dairy, just coconut milk, coconut oil and honey (or maple syrup) some of the best ingredients Mother Nature has to offer.