Manila Clams in Spicy Black Bean Sauce Part Duex

I first attempted to do this dish last Thanksgiving when I had some excess turkey broth. It was so good over steamed rice that I couldnt stop eating it. So here we go again...as with any sequel, I had to throw in a twist - orange juice. Odd eh? But the citrus married up real well with the heat!

Ingredients
1 lb of manila clams
2 stalks of green onions
2 tomatoes
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno
2 spoons of spicy blackbean sauce
ground pepper
sesame oil
corn starch
splash of orange juice

the aromatics (minced garlic, diced red onions, diced tomatoes, chopped green onions and sliced jalapenos)

Make sure you soak and scrub these guys in water multiple times. i throw in some salt to try to draw the sand out. i really like manila clams because the meat is so sweet

browning the aromatics in oil

layer the clams on top of the aromatics and cover the lid. manila clams typically open in 3-5 minutes. you should discard any clams that do not open. it typically means that they're dead

i love when the juices from the clams spill onto the sauce. i throw in the spicy blackbean sauce, some ground pepper, corn starch to thicken the sauce, and some sesame oil.  good to go and served over steam rice is amazing!

J4 Grillin'

My fridge had some leftover pineapples and peaches so I decided to throw them on the grill. I'm a big fan of grilling fruits because the heat really brings out the natural sweetness! To accompany the fruits, I decided to go with some chicken drumsticks and shrimp.

Ingredients
6 drumsticks
1 lb of shrimp / shell on
2 white peaces
2 nectarines
leftover pineapple

For the shrimp, make sure you clean it well. If you throw in some salt, it'll draw out some of the dirty stuff. To prepare the marinade, I used italian dressing, scotch bonnet hot sauce, green scallions, grated ginger, salt and a little oil.

For the drumsticks, I prepared a hoisin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoisin_sauce) and honey marinade. Throw in some celery salt, pepper and sesame oil and let it get happy for half a day.

For the peaches and nectarines, simply halved them and remove the pits. The glaze that I applied was a simpe equal parts of balsamic vinegar and honey with a little bit of ground pepper to kick it up a notch. Oh i sprinkled in some cinnamon and nutmeg too!

When it comes to chicken, I try to go for low fire because who wants chicken thats burnt on the outside and raw on the inside right? So low and easy

Towards the end, i raise the fire a bit to get some final charred marks

Plated and Ready to Eat!