Cooking With Love

Valentine’s Day 2015

Coo ki ng With 09 Oxtail Soup 10 Snow Crab Legs 14 Stewed Lamb

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MOUTH WATERING RECIPES

TERI HELENESE

COOKING WITH LOVE

cooking with love recipes by Teri Helenese

Welcome!

I have always associated really good food with really good company. If we are with people we love, and we are having fun and loving life, great food is like another guest at the table. We laugh, talk, and savor a delicious meal together. Or we assign our children the job of chopping up the vegetables or portioning ingredients in the measurement cup while we fire up the grill, set the oven, or knead flour. Cooking with love is really all about being together, and enjoying life surrounded by people we love and food we can share.

Anyone can cook at home, and anyone can help cook when we are visiting family and friends, but that does not necessarily translate to cooking with love. If I did not have a good day or if I am stressed, my meals don’t taste the same as when I come home from work in my happy center and walk in the kitchen to prepare a meal. One of the best things about putting this cooking with love collection together is there is really a lot of love in these pages that comes with generations of my mother, Eastlyn Helenese’ artistry in the kitchen.

Talk about pride! Eastlyn represented Trinidad in the Olympics, crunched numbers at Scotiabank on St. Croix, and she can throw down in the kitchen, but to see our families faces light up at the dining room table during supper every evening, that was a labor of love.

Growing up after she finished working at Scotiabank, she would come home and prepare a fresh cooked meal every single day.

Even though I don’t cook every day, my mom is the reason I do not like left overs. Cooking for someone else is an act of love. We serve breakfast in bed to our moms on Mother’s Day, our dads on Father’s Day, or a special treat for a birthday or anniversary, but with Eastlyn, we never had to wait for a special occasion. The greatest compliment we can give a cook is to ask for more, and that is all we ever did when I was growing up.

After high school, I went on to college in Miami Florida and then to graduate and law school in Washington, DC, where I lived with Carlos Rios and Debi Deutsch is in suburban Washington, DC. With Carlos being from Peru and Debi being Jewish, I learned how to prepare Latino and Kosher meals, whose recipes requested from me, I have shared with my friends on Facebook and around the world.

Between the Rios’ Latino cuisine, Kosher cooking, my mom’s West Indian meals, and my own twist on each of them combined over the years, I have about 50 recipes altogether which I will chronicle in a book someday. I had fun with the photo shoot for this eMagazine and seeing all the fun things that can be done with photography and fancy backgrounds to achieve picture perfect shots. My favorite picture is me in the red dress on the cover of the eMagazine.

For Valentine’s Day 2015, and in the interim, I am very proud to share this collection of 10 recipes and stories with you and hope you make every day special while cooking with love.

Teri Helenese Cooking With Love

COOKING WITH LOVE

Month 20XX Good Food Magazine

Teri’sTips helpful suggestions by Teri Helenese

CURRY, NUTMEG, GINSENG, GINGER, SAFFRON, CLOVES AND VANILLA are included among Aphrodisiac Herbs. An aphrodisiac is a substance believed to arouse sexual desire. The word “aphrodisiac” comes from the name of the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality, Aphrodite. An aphrodisiac herb arouses, increases, or intensifies sexual desire. It acts on the mind and causes the arousal of the mood and is used to help restore normal sexual potency and function. These aphrodisiac herbs are quite appropriate for your listening pleasure during Quincy Jones’ Secret Garden playing softly tonight.

If your recipe says preheat to 400 degrees, you should preheat to 425 degrees and lower the oven to 400 degrees when you put your dish in. Why? You lose heat when you open the door.

Storing yogurt, sour cream, and cottage cheese upside down makes them last up to one week longer!

“Apple Cider Vinegar is good for everything!”

Always season meat and fish evenly.

Sprinkle salt, pepper, cumin, thyme, garlic powder, and your other seasonings as though it’s Frank Sinatra we are listening to. This will avoid ending up with too much seasoning in some areas and none in others.

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COOKING WITH LOVE

cookin’cards

Lomo Saltado

Bacalao

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Oxtail Soup

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Snow Crab Legs

Chicken and Vegetable Kabo b

Chicken Soup

Brown Sugar Salmon and Risotto

Lemon Pesto Chicken

Stewed Lamb 5

COOKING WITH LOVE

Peruvian Lomo Saltado

SERVES 4

Ingredients

Method

1 (16 ounce) package frozen French fries

1. Prepare the bag of French fries according to package

vegetable oil as needed 1 pound rib eye beef sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, sliced into strips 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and sliced into strips 1 yellow chili pepper, preferably Peruvian aji amarillo 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar 1 dash soy sauce to taste 2 tablespoons chopped fresh

directions.

2. While the French fries are cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.

3. Season the sliced rib eye with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Fry the rib eye until just cooked, and the juices begin to release.

5. Remove the rib eye from the frying pan, then cook the onions, with additional oil if needed, until they are semi soft.

6. Stir in the tomato and aji amarillo; cook until the tomato softens.

7. Pour in the vinegar and soy sauce, add the French fries, cover, and cook until the beef is done, about 3 minutes.

8. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve. Don’t use the French fries if you are on a no carbohydrates diet.

Month 20XX Good Food Magazine

Bacalao

SERVES 4

Ingredients

Method

1 pound salted cod fish or salt fish as we say in the Caribbean 4 potatoes, sliced thick 2 onions, sliced 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced 2 teaspoons capers 3 large cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup pitted green olives 1 (4 ounce) fresh red and green bell peppers, sliced thin 1 bay leaf 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 cup water 1/4 cup white wine

1. Soak the salt fish in approximately 2 quarts of water, changing the water 3 times over the course of 8 hours.

Drain and cut the salt fish into bite size pieces.

2. Layer the half of each ingredient in the following order: potatoes, cod fish, onions, hard-boiled eggs, capers, garlic, olives, and red and green peppers. Place the bay leaf on top, then pour half the tomato sauce and half the olive oil. Repeat with the remaining ingredients in the same order. Pour the water and white wine on top. Do not stir.

3. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Don’t include the potatoes if you are on a no carbohydrates diet.

cooking tip

Perfect Meal For Lent

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Brown Sugar Salmon and Tuscan Risotto SERVES 4

Ingredients

Method

3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Place diced lamb in a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of

2 pounds lamb meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes 2 teaspoons paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, salt,

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

thyme, Goya sazon con cilantro, saffron, garlic

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

powder, and coriander; mix well. Add the lamb to the

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

bag, and toss around to coat well. Refrigerate at least

1/2 bag of thyme 1 tablespoon of parsley 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 pack of Goya Sazon con cilantro 1 pinch saffron 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

8 hours, preferably overnight.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

4. Add 1/3 of the lamb, and brown well. Remove to a plate, and repeat with remaining lamb.

5. Add onions and carrots to the pot and cook for 5

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

minutes. Stir in the fresh garlic and continue cooking

2 medium Spanish onions, cut into 1inch cubes

for an additional 5 minutes.

1/2 bag of baby carrots 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

6. Return the lamb to the pot and stir in the lemon zest, chicken broth, tomato paste, and honey.

7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and

1 lemon, zested

simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until

1 can of homemade chicken broth

the meat is tender. Serve.

1 tablespoon sun dried tomato paste 1 tablespoon honey

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the olive oil, and set aside.

2. In a large resealable bag, toss together the paprika,

COOKING WITH LOVE

Oxtail Soup SERVES 4

ingredients 1 bay leaf 6 cups of water 1 pint beef broth or bouillon as a substitute 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon thyme 3 cloves of garlic 2 sprigs of parsley 2 pounds oxtail cut in 1 inch chunks, trim excess fat 1/2 cup unsifted flour plus 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons beef drippings or cooking oil 2 medium size yellow onions, peeled & minced

method

Use of the word “ox”

1. Put ox tails and water in a large pot and bring to a boil.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer all together for 20 minutes. Serve.

I make my oxtail soup with beef tails. For my mainland friends, don’t be alarmed. Use of the word “ox” in this context is a legacy of nomenclature. In every bite of my oxtail soup for the soul, you’ll taste some combination of oxtail, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, Spanish onions, corn, cilantro, and other West Indian provisions. Provisions are stamina and endurance building vegetables from the earth. Enjoy!

Snow Crab Legs with Roasted Corn and Pineapple Dessert SERVES 4

Ingredients

Method

2 pounds ocean fresh or frozen Snow Crab Legs 4 cups of water Old Bay Seasoning or your preferred substitute seasoning 6 ears of fresh sweet corn in the husk butter

1. Using a metal strainer insert, bring 4 cups of water to boil in a large pot.

2. Place crab legs in the metal strainer insert.

3. Sprinkle Old Bay evenly across the crab legs.

4. Steam the crab legs.

5. Decorate the pineapple with the crab legs to your taste, using wooden kabob sticks.

6. Serve the snow crab legs with butter for dipping.

7. Lay the corn in the husks on the grill.

8. Cook on the grill for about 30 minutes turning the husks until you get the desired brown color.

9. Remove from the grill, remove the husks, and serve with butter.

Chicken Soup SERVES 4

ingredients 1 boneless chicken breast half, cooked and diced 2 cups water 2 carrots, chopped 1 zucchini, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon chicken broth base or 1 chicken bouillon 4 potatoes sliced in half 4 West Indian sweet potatoes sliced in half 1/2 Spaghetti 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon of Goya Seasoning or your preferred seasoning.

method 1. Put cooked chicken meat, potatoes, and water in a large pot and bring to a boil.

2. Add the carrots, zucchini, spaghetti and garlic and simmer all together for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the chicken broth and cilantro.

4. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve.

Easy to Prepare Chicken Soup for the soul is so easy to prepare. It fills us up, does the body good, and gives us all of the nutrients we need. Enjoy!

Good COOKING FoodWITH Magazine LOVEMonth 20XX

Chicken and Vegetable Kabob SERVES 4

ingredients 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup honey 1/3 cup soy sauce

method 1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while

3 fresh tomatoes (chopped)

cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes 2 cloves garlic 5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces 2 red, yellow, and orange mini bell peppers 2 zucchini cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces skewers pineapple

hours (the longer the better).

2. Preheat the grill for high heat.

3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers or in their own vegetable groups as shown with the zucchini and mini bell peppers.

4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Chicken and Vegetable Kabob. Pineapple is for dessert. How do we know if the pineapple is ripe? Pick a leaf from the top. If it comes right off this may be the one. Turn the pineapple over and look at the base. Make sure there is no mold. Press your thumb or a finger at the bottom in the center on the base. If your finger smells sweet, it’s ripe. That’s the one!

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Month 20XX Good Food Magazine

Lemon Pesto Chicken Ingredients 1 7 ounce package purchased refrigerated pesto 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 4 skinless chicken breast halves with bones 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 lemon halves

SERVES 4

Method 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Blend pesto, chopped walnuts, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and grated lemon peel in processor just until combined.

3. Place chicken on large rimmed baking sheet 4. Coat all of chicken with pesto mixture and drizzle with oil.

5. Bake chicken until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

6. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent with foil.

7. Strain pan juices into small bowl, pressing on solids in strainer to extract as much liquid as possible.

8. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

9. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper and spoon sauce over chicken.

10. Grill lemon halves for 3 minutes, garnish with lemons and serve.

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Stewed Lamb

SERVES 4

Ingredients

Method

3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Place diced lamb in a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of

2 pounds lamb meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes 2 teaspoons paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, salt,

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

thyme, Goya sazon con cilantro, saffron, garlic

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

powder, and coriander; mix well. Add the lamb to the

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

bag, and toss around to coat well. Refrigerate at least

1/2 bag of thyme 1 tablespoon of parsley 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 pack of Goya Sazon con cilantro 1 pinch saffron 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

8 hours, preferably overnight.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

4. Add 1/3 of the lamb, and brown well. Remove to a plate, and repeat with remaining lamb.

5. Add onions and carrots to the pot and cook for 5

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

minutes. Stir in the fresh garlic and continue cooking

2 medium Spanish onions, cut into 1inch cubes

for an additional 5 minutes.

1/2 bag of baby carrots 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

6. Return the lamb to the pot and stir in the lemon zest, chicken broth, tomato paste, and honey.

7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and

1 lemon, zested

simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until

1 can of homemade chicken broth

the meat is tender. Serve.

1 tablespoon sun dried tomato paste 1 tablespoon honey

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the olive oil, and set aside.

2. In a large resealable bag, toss together the paprika,

COOKING WITH LOVE

Month 20XX Good Food Magazine

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers SERVES 4

Ingredients 6 large red or green bell peppers 3 cups of long grain white rice or your preferred rice 2 pounds lean ground beef 1/2 large sized sweet onion diced 3 garlic cloves finely chopped 2 cups of fresh diced tomatoes 1 cup of cilantro 4 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese 1 teaspoon Goya Seasoning

Method 1. Wash the bell peppers.

2. Cut the bell peppers in half, top to bottom.

3. Remove the seeds and the ribs. Set aside.

4. In a medium sauce pan, cook the rice.

5. In a medium skillet or frying pan, brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Drain the meat.

6. In a medium saucepan, bring the tomatoes to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes.

7. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, tomatoes, cilantro, and Goya seasoning, then mix.

8. Stuff the bell peppers and place them in a baking pan skin side down.

9. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

10. Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top.

11. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered for about five minutes until the cheese melts.

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Aretha Franklin said it best: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Season fish simply and cook it with respect. The flavor of the fish is what we want. When it comes off the grill or out of the oven or pan, finish it with a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Always. There is just something about lemon and fish that is heavenly.

Good Food Magazine Month 20XX

SupaFlava

SideStart

FatReducer

Sparrow and Machel Montano say whine! 17 Plus says roll, baby, roll, baby, roll, baby, roll!

Roll sweeta and roll en de centa! I say brine, baby, brine!

We have tuh brine our poultry tuh relly give it dat supa flava!

To cook a steak, I always start by cooking it on its side, where there is a rim of fat on its narrow edge. I render the steak down so there’s good, flavorful fat in the pan for the rest of the cooking.

Use of balsamic vinaigrette dressing on our salads before eating our meals helps any fat not to stick to our walls and exit our bodies during the digestive process.

Instead of placing a

chicken on a roasting rack, cut thick slices of onion, put them in an oiled pan, then place the chicken on top. The onion will absorb the chicken juices. After roasting, let the

MustHave #1 Invest in a bottle of high-quality olive oil. Just a small drizzle can really bring out the flavor of any meal. My Trinidadian grandmother, Anna, taught me to use it on my skin too which I still do on most nights after my bath.

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chicken rest while you make a sauce with the onions by adding a little stock or water to the pan and cooking it for about 3 minutes on high heat.

MustHave #2 Every home should have a castiron pan and not for style but for regular use. Cast-iron pans are my best friend in the kitchen and they are as easy to clean as 1, 2, 3!

Teri’sBiography On November 13, 1993, Mayor Robert B. Ingram named the day in her honor, gave Teri Helenese the Keys to the City in Opa Locka, Florida, and described her as a “Lady Extraordinaire and a shining example of finer womanhood.” She also received prestigious awards and recognition from Florida Governor Lawton Chiles and Representative Willie Logan.

In April 1994, Ebony magazine dubbed Teri Helenese a Rising Star. In 1997, the same magazine included her on its list of the Top 25 Accomplished Women, and in 1998, she was recognized by another well-known magazine, Cosmopolitan, as a Leader to Watch. In 1999, MISS VIRGINIA USA Executive Director Kim Nicewonder Johnson said, “We are so proud to have Teri as one of our finalists. Originally from St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Teri has a spark that moves beyond those Caribbean waters to us here in VA. She has scruples and is beautiful, intelligent, funny, grounded, tremendously well educated, and a shining example of what young girls and ladies should aspire to be.”

In less than two decades, Teri Helenese has met and even surpassed these expectations.

Her career has spanned executive functions across the private and public sectors. In every setting—from St. Croix to Washington, D.C. and from the local to global enterprise—she has made lasting, impactful change and she continues to be a rain-maker and a changermaker today.

Teri Helenese is a Big Four IT Consultant in Washington, DC.

She is a leader with a focus on global human resources, strategic communications, and change management.

As an IT consultant for over 15 years, Teri has counseled Fortune 500 clients across numerous industries, notfor-profit organizations including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies in the areas of culture evolution, behavior change, leader alignment and stakeholder engagement in support of strategic and complex business transformations. Teri has led the people aspects of numerous large-scale organizational transformation engagements, including managing the communications team that implemented mission-andfunction-based governance strategies at the Department of Homeland Security in the largest merger since 1949.

During her tenure at Deloitte Consulting, in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, Teri was responsible for a major change that would enhance the security of U.S. ports. Under the new Maritime Transportation Security Act, members of the Coast Guard, truck drivers, mariners, and other individuals requiring access to secure areas would need Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), a new government credential. It was a task that took diplomacy and plenty of people savvy: Teri was tapped as the TWIC Ambassador and traveled to 37 states and communicated with 130 maritime ports, where she briefed major employers, unions, Coast Guard officials, and other organizations and individuals on

the new credentialing process mandated by Congress—always meeting resistance with a positive attitude regarding the need for uniting behind a common goal: the security of our ports. Teri successfully moved resistors and detractors to supporters and champions of the TWIC Congressional Mandate. As of May 2014, there were 2,999,058 people enrolled in the TWIC Program.

In 2008, Teri was tapped as part of a Reverse the Brain Drain Program and was relocated to her native St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Before returning to Washington, DC, to work with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Teri worked as Diageo USVI’s Director of Human Resources and the Captain Morgan Visitors Center Brand Manager.

As the HR Director, she successfully managed four key areas: Talent Agenda, Total Rewards, Employee Relations, and Learning & Development.

Working in tandem with Benton Construction, Teri was responsible for the design and build phases of the $5 million Captain Morgan Visitors Center.

She successfully launched the Visitors Center and the Brand in April 2012.Early in her career Teri served as the US Virgin Islands Governor’s Representative and Director of the Office of the Governor in Washington, DC, and she also worked as the Director of Public Affairs in the 25th Legislature. Teri Helenese holds a B.A. degree in political science and public administration from Florida Memorial College, and a double M.A. degree in statistics and communications from the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.

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