Personal Chef Shares Two Favorite Recipes

Not long ago local resident Leslie Guria was looking for a new career. After running a home-based marketing company she was ready for something that would get her out of the house and off the phone. 

Since cooking is a primary love of Guria’s it was no stretch for her to consider that for a career. To achieve her goal she obtained a certificate from the American Association of Private Chefs. She is now running a successful business as a personal chef which she enjoys very much as do her clients.

She says that for most of her clients she cooks twice per week, making portions large enough for them to have leftovers. The jobs allows her to practice her creative cooking skills while giving her the flexibility to be at home for her 13 and 16 year olds when they get home. That way they get to enjoy her cooking too. Guria commented that two of her kids favorite dishes are baked salmon with veggies and her skirt steak. 

Below Guria shares with us two of her go to recipes. The first is a roasted corn salad with tomatoes, basil and Feta cheese and the second a Gazpacho soup. To learn more about her business go to www.freshfromyourkitchen.com. To purchase my cookbooks go to www.carolgfrey.com.

Roasted Corn Salad w/Tomatoes, Basil & Feta Cheese
ingredients:
4 ears of corn, husked and cleaned or 2 cups of frozen, whole kernel corn
2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1 Tb fresh basil, chopped
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 Tb flavorful olive oil
1 Tb red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

prep:

Cook your corn using one of the following methods:

Wrap each ear in foil and grill for 20 minutes, turning regularly to avoid too much charring. Or, boil in salted water for 10 minutes.

Option number 2: Use 2 cups frozen corn, microwaved in a covered dish with 1 tsp salt for approximately 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

After corn is cooked and ready to handle, carefully cut kernels from husks and place in large bowl, along with chopped tomatoes and basil.

Mix olive oil and vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl, then add to large bowl with corn, basil and tomatoes. 

Toss to coat and add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Add feta cheese last, toss gently and serve.

Simplest Gazpacho Soup Ever
ingredients:
2 large tomatoes, quartered
1 green pepper, seeds and stem removed, cut in large chunks
2 English (seedless) cucumbers, cut into large chunks
¼ of a large red onion, cut in large chunks
2 cups low sodium tomato or V8 juice
½ cup red wine vinegar
⅓ cup flavorful olive oil
hot sauce to taste
salt & pepper to taste
8 oz. sour cream 
1 avocado 

prep:

Set aside one large bowl and a covered pitcher.

In food processor, pulse vegetables one at a time then put half of each in the large bowl and half in the covered pitcher. When pulsing, tap the Pulse button rather than holding it down and letting the machine run. This will produce a small, rough chop.

Once all vegetables are chopped, put the vegetables held in the large bowl back in the food processor and process until smooth.

Add processed vegetables to the pitcher with the rough chopped veggies along with the tomato juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil. 

Shake with the lid on or stir gently.

Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to meld flavors and serve cold. 

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and chopped avocado if desired.