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Ground-breaking interviews and opinions on John’s DIG LIFE DEEP! podcast. Follow his features, news and exclusive stories, from business and economics to faith, culture and the human spirit, on mass media platforms.
PODCAST Poverty Porn: DR STEVEN PAYSON on Extreme Global Hunger. How the World Bank & UN Misleads Public
World poverty and extreme poverty worldwide are a present and dire reality and danger. According to the World Bank, about 650 million people in the world live below the extreme poverty line, defined as earning less than $2.15 per day. In the United States and other industrialized countries, living on less than $2.15 a day (absolutely, and without additional social assistance) would surely make a person homeless and starving. However, is that also the situation for those poorest 650 million in developing countries who are said to be living below this poverty line? In this Exclusive expose, DR STEVEN PAYSON, an economist at the US Department of Labor, and professor at the University of Maryland, presents an alternative economic reality. Global poverty is undoubtedly dire, distressing and calls for appropriate policy responses and generous humanitarian aid. However, as DR PAYSON, argues in his latest volume of work, Extreme Poverty in the World: How the World Bank and United Nations Measure It (Fake Economics, Exposed: Its Pervasiveness, Harmfulness, and Prevention), a new presentation of the statistic facts are required, statistics based on purchasing power parity and not on “statistic poverty porn.” DR PAYSON argues that the prices actually paid by the poorest people on the planet can, in fact, be acquired and used by economists to derive more accurate measures of their actual level of well-being. “In this way,” DR PAYSON maintains, “the world can have a better understanding of extreme poverty in its truest sense, and can direct assistance to where it is genuinely needed the most.” Order the book here, https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Poverty-United-Nations-Measure/dp/B0BRLX6H7K
PODCAST RAYMOND ARROYO of FOX News discusses The Wise Men Who Found Christmas, his new Christmas book
New York Times bestselling author and award-winning broadcast journalist RAYMOND ARROYO of FOX News and EWTN, is out with his beautiful Christmas book The Wise Men Who Found Christmas and is back again on The DIG LIFE DEEP! Podcast to share the good news with host JOHN AIDAN BYRNE. In this thrilling, visual adventure capturing the wonder of the Christmas season, ARROYO tells the true, hidden story of the mysterious Magi, who risked everything to discover the truth in this episode. Based on new historical evidence, The Wise Men Who Found Christmas is the miraculous, untold tale of three seekers who followed a star and found themselves in the middle of the greatest story ever told. Stunningly illustrated by Diane Le Feyer, this enchanting family keepsake is sure to become part of your Christmas tradition – and a reminder that chasing truth is often the greatest adventure of all. Also on this episode, recorded just prior to the US midterm elections, ARROYO sums up his view of the great American experiment in democracy and where the nation stands today.
Read MorePODCAST IT’S WALL STREET’S SLICK AND GRAND DECEPTION $$
A financial industry vet, NORM PAPPOUS, presents the cold clinical reality of what he sees as deceptive Wall Street practices to accumulate the retail investors’ assets without accountability and proper transparency
Read MorePODCAST RABBI ABRAHAM COOPER of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, discusses the surge in anti-Semitism
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, a native New Yorker who grew up playing baseball with Irish and neighborhood kids in Rockaway, Queens,. is Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading global Jewish human rights organization. Rabbi Cooper has been a longtime activist for Jewish and human rights causes on five continents. In 1977, he came to Los Angeles to help Rabbi Marvin Hier found the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Together with Rabbi Hier, Rabbi Cooper regularly meets with world leaders, including Pope Francis, presidents, and foreign ministers to defend the rights of the Jewish people, combat terrorism and promote multi-faith relations worldwide.Rabbi Cooper is an acknowledged expert on online hate and terrorism and has helped produce and present the SWC’s renowned traveling exhibitions at the Vatican, the UN, Knesset, US Congress, Tokyo, New Delhi, and Buenos Aires. He is a founder of the Global Forum on Anti-Semitism, and Newsweek ranked Rabbis Cooper and Hier as #8 among the 50 most influential rabbis in America. Rabbi Cooper has worked extensively with Arab leaders in the Gulf States and witnessed the historic UAE/Bahrain/Israel Abraham Accords ceremony at the White House. In 2022, Rabbi Cooper was appointed Vice Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom which tracks violations of religious freedom around the world. Rabbi Cooper co-authored with Rev. Johnnie Moore, The Next Jihad, based on their interviews in Nigeria with scores of Christian survivors of deadly Islamist terrorist attacks. His op-eds appear in major US and Israeli outlets, in Asia and in the Arab News and Al-Arabiya. Rabbi Cooper is a recipient of Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Community Service Leadership Memorial Award, a recipient of an honorary doctorate from Yeshiva University and the Orthodox Union’s National Leadership Award.
Read MorePODCAST PROJECT 21’S CRAIG DeLUZ on why convervative black leaders demand Verizon reinstate One America News on its television platform. DeLUZ, a successful media exec, discusses critical race theory and more
Black leaders from Project 21 demand that Verizon reinstate One America News (OAN) on its television platform. In a letter signed by 37 members representing the communities of business, politics, media and faith, Project 21 explained that Verizon did “a tremendous disservice to its subscribers, investors and free speech [and]… is silencing black voices” when it canceled OAN. Verizon stopped carrying OAN on its Fios platform at the end of July. Its cancellation marked the end of a 17-year relationship between the news channel and the carrier. Left-wing groups are aggressively pushing media companies to drop the conservative-leaning OAN from their platforms. In the letter, Project 21 said: “Do what’s right for black America, for your investors and for the country by reinstating OAN immediately.” In the letter addressed to Verizon Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hans Vestberg, the three dozen Project 21 signors criticized the abrupt decision that appeased political special interests over viewers, noting this imperils access to information and debate: “Allowing a political pressure campaign to decide which news and information programs Americans have access to undermines free speech and sets a precedent that will only encourage further demands. This is particularly dangerous as this pressure appears to only go one way – anti-conservative and, in this case, anti-black.” “You have now projected weakness, inviting those further demands,” Project 21 warned Vestberg. It was suggested Verizon’s capitulation could lead to the removal of other channels in the future. Among those who signed the letter to Verizon are Project 21 Chairman Horace Cooper; Stacy Washington, a host on SiriusXM satellite radio; Alveda King, founder of speakforlife(.org) and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Star Parker, president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE); Julian Boykin, CEO of Acquisition Consulting Experts; Reverend Albert Sampson, president of the Chicago’s Metropolitan Council of Black Churches and Chris Arps, host at NewstalkSTL-St. Louis. A full copy of the letter and its signers is available at https://nationalcenter.org/project-21-oan-letter. Project 21, a leading voice of black conservatives for over 25 years, is sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research. Its members have been quoted, interviewed or published over 40,000 times since the program was created in 1992. Contributions to the National Center are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated, and may be earmarked exclusively for the use of Project 21.
Read MorePODCAST JULIAN RAVEN’S TRUMP-INSPIRED ART REJECTED BY SMITHSONIAN: Artist goes to court, fights Smithsonian ‘corruption’
Julian Raven’s art and love for his adopted country and its freedoms collided in the 2016 presidential election to raise questions about the First Amendment and the authority of the Smithsonian Institution.In his new book, Odious & Cerberus: An American Immigrant’s Odyssey and His Free Speech Legal War Against Smithsonian Corruption, artist Julian Raven details how he used his art to participate in the American political process—and the enormous personal toll it took.“Breaches of trust and the silencing of any person’s First Amendment protected free speech within institutions of learning, regardless of that person’s political leanings, trip the alarm of injustice and freedom,” said Raven.Raven’s painting Unafraid and Unashamed featured Donald Trump alongside a bald eagle, was his enthusiastic expression of support for his choice for president. He used his own resources to transport the painting to Iowa to campaign for Trump in the caucuses. After several attempts to present the painting to Donald Trump, and after showing it at a political art convention, he offered to loan the painting to the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution.Raven filed an application with the Rockwell Museum Art in Corning, New York, a Smithsonian affiliate, to loan the painting to the museum in Washington prior to the inauguration, he was curtly told by Director Kim Sajet the painting was “not painted from life,” “too pro-Trump” and, finally, “no good.” This led to a lawsuit and a pro-se appeal that went as far as the Supreme Court.Mr. Raven has proposed and advocates for a Constitutional amendment to define the legal status of the Smithsonian as a private trust or an instrument of the government and require greater transparency in its operations.Julian Raven was born in England, raised in Spain and became a United States citizen in 2015. He is a commercial artist.
Read MorePODCAST CAPITOL HILL TO CHARTER SCHOOL: Former Hill staffer, author Animal Town, A.D. ULTMAN, examines corruption at core of political system from his new perch today as a charter school teacher.
A.D. Ultman grew up on a farm on the Great American Plains. He was educated at leading public universities on the East and West Coasts, studying cognitive science and political theory. He began his career as a U.S. Senate staffer and then spent eight years building and leading a successful corporate market research and consulting practice in Washington, DC. He resigned his position in 2017 to travel and study political systems around the world. Since then, he has been an independent writer and teacher and now a teacher at a Charter School, in the US, a “public school” run as a school of choice for parents and student, free of many state and local regulations, as well as ideologies, imposed upon traditional public schools. Ultman holds a B.S. in psychology and political science and a M.A. in political science. Inspired by George Orwell and intended for readers ages 12 and up, A.D. Ultman’s Animal Town masterfully explains today’s political landscape and cautions against extremism on all sides. Animal Town is a book made for the political moment but rooted in perennial wisdom-and could not be timelier message for the youth of America. Animal Townis a nuanced and sophisticated treatment of contemporary politics, grounded in the words and actions of American political and cultural leaders. It is related through the compelling story of a young jackrabbit’s struggle to understand the nature of freedom, a weasel’s quest for wealth and power, and the conflicting dogmas preached by a zealous fox and a radical gopher. In Animal Town’s anthropomorphic world reminiscent of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, predator and prey species of the American prairie have built a democratic, capitalist society where animals live together in harmony. Then, for the first time in memory, a predator kills a prey. The tragedy triggers a resurgence of species-based politics that threatens the very existence of Animal Town. Animal Town https://animaltownbook.com is described as a prescient cautionary tale exposing the danger of far-right and far-left political extremism.
Read MorePODCAST PRISON HELL: Michael Churchward, a celebrity mega yacht captain sent to notorious prisons for a crime he never committed, after docking in Turkey, discusses his book on the ordeal, God Waits Outside
God Waits Outside (Dragon Tree Books, 2020) by Michael Churchward is the compelling and gripping real life story of Churchward, a renowned yacht captain who was arrested and thrown into a Turkish prison for a crime he did not commit. God Waits Outside recounts Churchward’s ordeal which is a tale of suffering, endurance, courage, and ultimately the triumph of the human spirit. The book is riveting account of Churchward’s yearlong saga caught in the twisted justice systems of two countries – Greece and Turkey all because of a baseless charge. It examines the injustices in the world, the corruption of the legal process, the squalor and suffering of a Turkish prison while caught between the justice systems of two foreign nations, and ultimately a triumph for Churchward and for justice. Churchward who had never found himself to be a deeply religious person discusses in the book, the fear of abandonment and the discovery of faith. This real -life saga will keep readers enthralled to the last page. “Writing God Waits Outside was both cathartic and a labor of love,” said Michael Churchward. “I found that I had so much inside me that I had not discussed in the past about my ordeal that I wanted to be told. I am glad that it can reach an even wider audience in an audiobook edition. “I hope when readers read God Waits Outside, they come away inspired with the belief that no matter how dark and hopeless a situation might be, there is always light ahead,” continued Churchward. “And on a lighter note, the book will confirm that a Turkish prison is really as bad as it is claimed to be and even worse.” Michael Churchward has packed a ton of fascinating details and his philosophy of life into his new book. He tells of the generous help of Ross Perot, the former US Presidential candidate in Churchward’s pursuit of freedom, and the welcome intervention of actor Dustin Hoffman in his saga. Also playing a hugely critical role in his release from the forces of darkness, is the anonymous Mr. R., one of the wealthiest men in America, and Churchward’s former longtime boss. Churchward is a world-renowned yachting captain with has broken world several records in his career. Today he resides in Pompano Beach, Florida. God Waits Outside is available on Amazon.
Read MorePODCAST JEFFREY ROBINSON on Today’s Soaring Global Money Laundering, Illicit Drugs, Dirty Money & Political Corruption
Jeffrey Robinson is the bestselling author of 30 books, and a popular speaker on the international after-dinner circuit. Born in Long Beach, NY (1945), he began selling freelance articles and stories to small magazines before his 15th birthday. Later, while attending Temple University in Philadelphia (BA-1967), he wrote for television and radio, was a staff writer at KYW-TV3 (1965), scripted a popular local children’s show and was on the writing staff of “The Mike Douglas Show” (1966), a nationally televised daily talk show. After serving as a press and public relations officer in the United States Air Force (1967-1971), he took up residence in the south of France where he spent the next 12 years vagabonding around the world, writing articles and short stories for leading North American and British periodicals. In 1982, now earning his living as an established freelance journalist and short story writer, he moved to London England to write books. His money laundering tour de force, The Laundrymen (1993) was a headline-maker in 14 countries, establishing him as a recognized expert on organized crime, dirty money, fraud and money laundering. Actively maintaining that reputation through books, television programs and speaking engagements around the world, the British Bankers’ Association has labeled him, “the world’s most important financial crime author.” In addition to books on dirty money, he has published investigative non-fiction, major biographies and novels. Source: jeffreyrobinson.com
Read MoreAbout John Aidan Byrne
John Aidan Byrne is an award-winning journalist, podcaster, and highly inventive writer and distinguished editor who has conceived and structured publications and media enterprises that earned accolades from the industry. He is also a Broadway alumnus, joining the creative team as a consulting producer of the theatrical play, The King. The Final Hours, by Emmy award winner Mark Macias. Byrne’s career in journalism and writing spans the gamut from Main to Wall Street. He has been featured on Fox, WOR Radio, Newstalk Radio, Newsmax TV and other outlets. His work is published in the New York Post, Wall Street Journal, National Catholic Register, Institutional Investor and other publications. Byrne’s popular podcast, DIG LIFE DEEP! and Odeon Capital Conversations is a must follow for the curious at heart.
As the former editor of Traders Magazine, Byrne guided the editorial excellence of this in-depth print and online publication for professional Wall Street security traders. Byrne has developed
and is a seasoned editor on the critically-acclaimed book series for the Baruch College market structure trading conference in New York from Spring Science + Business Media. He has contributed to The Handbook of Electronic Trading (Capital Markets Media), The Journal of Trading, REP magazine, and a variety of other financial publications. Byrne was presented with the Benson & Hedges Award for Outstanding Work in Provincial Journalism in Ireland.
Learn MoreNEWS & FEATURES
Norman Rockwell Film For John Aidan Byrne
Irish Immigrant Media Professional Will Honor the American Dream: Top-Rated Podcaster. Book Series Success. Norman Rockwell Documentary In Pre-Production
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, November 14, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Media man John Aidan Byrne, a successful US immigrant from Ireland living the American Dream, has announced his latest venture — a film documentary on iconic artist, Norman Rockwell.
“We’re talking to many creative people in the business, financiers, artists and some of the best directors in the industry,” says Byrne, an award-winning journalist, book editor, podcaster, and entrepreneur, who has signed on as producer, narrator and screenwriter for the documentary. “Norman Rockwell, an American legend, was complicated but touches a special place in all of our hearts,” adds Byrne. “He loved and cherished America, and was aware of its challenges. But he brought out the very best in our nation, from the simplicity and wholesomeness of rural living to urbane modernity, faith and family values, and a bright future in the land of the free.”
Byrne says the documentary is inspired in part by his friend S.T. Haggerty’s book, Norman Rockwell’s Models: In and Out of the Studio. (Rowan & Littlefield Publishers 2023.) Byrne has published interviews with Rockwell’s son, Jarvis, Rockwell model, Pauline Grimes, as well as with Haggerty himself who spent long summers at his family’s farmhouse near West Arlington, Vermont. (Norman Rockwell once had his home and studio here.) Haggerty grew up knowing many local Rockwell models in West Arlington, including those who posed for such famous works as Freedom of Speech, Breaking Home Ties, and Girl at the Mirror.
Byrne also says the documentary is “perfect for a corporate sponsor who wants to reframe the American consumer narrative, in a profoundly positive way that harkens back to the ideals that sustained America in the best and worst of times.” The impetus for the documentary is also propelled by new research on the American Dream, as well as his alarm at increasing polarization in US society, according to Byrne
An exhaustive study earlier this year by the Archbridge Institute and the University of Chicago on the American Dream, as reported by the New York Post, concluded that while the results, “continue to show large agreement and optimism across Americans of diverse age, race/ethnicity, education and income groups, there are signs of declining belief in the United States as the ‘land of opportunity.’”
“Wow, what’s that all about?” Byrne asks, incredulously. So if you think the America Dream is dead, think again, he says. In truth, he adds, it is about perception and reality. And Byrne thinks a new documentary on Rockwell, spanning the artist’s career, examining Rockwell’s vision of America, and in the eyes of his models (many still alive), and the author ST Haggerty, would be a cathartic moment for America.
A decline in belief in the American Dream, defined by factors such as an ability to live in freedom and retire comfortably, own a home and raise a family, has risen lately as more Americans are crushed by rising prices, lack of affordable housing, and fears about crime and personal safety.
Still, the Archbridge Institute survey with the University of Chicago released this past summer noted, nonetheless, that 75% of Americans — across all ages, race, income or education — admitted they have either achieved the American Dream, or are on the path to achieving it.
Byrne says notions that the American Dream as an achievable goal, is in sharp decline, are often fueled by poorly informed, or biased media and culture warriors — sometimes by pundits who do not believe in the great American ideal envisaged by the Founding Fathers. Norman Rockwell celebrated the American Dream across many decades, says Byrne, in wartime and in peace time, in good times and bad, capturing the essential nature of the nation, a spirit of can-do optimism and unity.
Byrne quotes Don Feder, who recently wrote in the Washington Times of how Rockwell’s art gave us hope. “We need that more than ever today,” says Byrne.
“He celebrated life in a simpler time — backyard ball games, prom dates, boys dreaming they’ll grow up to become firemen, a child goggle-eyed when he discovers a Santa hat and false beard in his father’s dresser. Middle America took him to heart. The snob-elite disdained him,” according to Feder.
Added Feder: “Rockwell had the last laugh. He painted the official portraits of five presidents. His Four Freedoms, painted in 1943, raised $132 million in war bond sales when it toured the country on exhibit. In 2013, one of his paintings sold at auction for $46 million.”
Says Byrne: “Our documentary will celebrate the sophistication, beauty and simplicity, as well as the contradictions of America, but also its great advances, and its hugely extensive technical and technological innovations you won’t find in any other parts of the world. Rockwell projects and honors this landscape and spirit of can-do and enterprise.”
About John Aidan Byrne
John Aidan Byrne, a multi-media expert who runs his own boutique communications company for print and video productions, is a dual US and Irish citizen who came to America from his native Ireland over three decades ago.
Byrne is a contributor and writer for numerous publications and outlets, including the New York Post, Wall Street Journal, National Catholic Register. He is an editor and writer for the Zicklin School of Business’ best-selling series of books on market structure. Byrne is Consulting Producer, The King: The Final Hours, a widely acclaimed play on Elvis Presley by Emmy Award-winning producer, Mark Macias. Byrne emceed a concert at Town Hall in NY. He was a weekend news announcer on the old WOR 710 AM radio. He has been featured and quoted on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Bloomberg Radio, Gript Media, London’s Talk Radio, Page Six of the New York Post, Sunday Independent, Bloomberg Radio, Newsmax, WOR 710, Ireland’s LMFM and numerous more outlets.
Byrne is the former editor of Traders Magazine, and author of the trade publication’s notable 1997 cover story, The Madoff Mystery. He interviewed Bernard L Madoff and his brother Peter at their iconic offices in Manhattan’s skyscraper Lipstick Building. That was more than a decade before Bernard Madoff’s downfall, and the collapse of his multi-billion dollar empire. The cover lines blared, ‘The Madoff Mystery.’
Meanwhile, Byrne, will soon launch and produce a new podcast – his third podcast on audio and video platforms – for an academic institution in New York City. His DIG LIFE DEEP! Podcast- among the top 1½ percent of podcasts worldwide, as ranked by Listen Notes – inaugurated his podcast enterprises. That was followed by the hugely popular ODEON CAPITAL CONVERSATIONS Podcast. The weekly episodes of the ODEON CAPITAL CONVERSATIONS Podcast features famed bank analyst Dick Bove, and Wall Street veteran, Mat Van Alstyne, co-founder and managing partner of ODEON CAPITAL GROUP. ODEON CAPITAL CONVERSATIONS is now one of the top-rated Apple Podcast worldwide in the Business News category.
Back in 2017, Byrne spearheaded and coordinated, from here in America, one of the largest worldwide family gatherings of its kind in Irish history, reuniting in Ireland his far-flung cousins and extended family from America, Canada, the UK, Europe, as well as from locally from Ireland. They included long lost cousins who grew up in Rochester, in upstate New York, descendants of Byrne’s maternal grandfather, David Brennan. David returned to Ireland around the turn of the 20th Century, after toiling on the Erie Canal in the Rochester area.
Byrne has interviewed a cluster of VIPs, including New York billionaire and supermarket mogul John Catsimaditis; UFC Sports superstar, Conor McGregor; FOX News’ Raymond Arroyo; Godfather actor and legend, Gianna Russo; Bill O’Reilly’s writing partner on the Killing series, Martin Dugard; economist Peter Schiff; India’s youngest billionaire, Nikhil Kamath; author of best-seller, Dopamine Nation Dr. Anna Lemke; American exorcist, Msgr. Stephen J Rosetti, author of best seller, Diary of an American Exorcist; best-selling Irish American writer, Jack Cashill; 3X World Series Champion and MLB Star Todd Stottlemeyer, and theologian Dr. Scott Hahn Scott.
ACHIEVEMENT OF NOTE: Leading a group of runners who are part of the LIFE Runners organization, across the Brooklyn Bridge, New York, to raise awareness and funds for mothers and couples in crisis pregnancies, and for pro-life organizations. “The real payback was creating awareness, saving lives and making genuine friendships with some of the best and kindest people I have ever met in my life,” says John Aidan Byrne.
Contact John Aidan Byrne
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John Aidan Byrne’s documentary on the iconic American artist, Norman Rockwell, is inspired by S.T. Haggerty’s new book, NORMAN ROCKWELL’S MODELS. In and Out of the Studio
Rochester Brennans: John Aidan Byrne’s granddad, David Brennan, worked on the Erie Canal before returning to Co. Mayo, Ireland. Photo shows him with his brothers in Rochester, NY. Circa 1890, to early 1900s
John Aidan Byrne
Historic family reunion in Ireland for John Aidan Byrne
The ODEON CAPITAL CONVERSATIONS Podcast with famed bank analyst, DICK BOVE, and Wall Street veteran, MAT VAN ALSTYNE, is one of the most top-ranked and popular podcasts on money and markets. The podcast is produced and hosted by JOHN AIDAN BYRNE
THE MOST FABULOUS FAMILY RECIPES
Mouth-watering and delicious!
A Fiesta Fusion of Worldwide Flavors
Family Features – If you’re seeking inspiration to take mealtime from bland and boring to new and vibrant, look no further than these at-home fiesta recipes. With options ranging from tongue-tingling spice to smooth, creamy and simply delicious, you can call on global flavors to bring life to your kitchen.
This menu from “The New York Times” bestselling cookbook author and recipe developer Stephanie Banyas offers delightful flavor fusions from around the world. The lively tastes of the Spicy Shrimp Remoulade in Lettuce Leaves and Mexican Style Paella with Chicken and Sausage pop with the high-quality ingredients of Fresh Cravings Salsas.
These boldly flavored salsas are made with vine-ripened tomatoes, crisp onions, zesty peppers and spices. Plus, they’re never cooked or pasteurized, meaning you’re enjoying a vibrant dip that’s never soggy or dull. Available in a range of heat levels among restaurant style, chunky and pico de gallo, they complement any at-home fiesta.
For a fiery, zesty twist, this Red Pepper Chickpea Soup with Gazpacho Relish and Tortilla Croutons calls for Fresh Cravings Hummus, as its ideal creamy texture and savory taste balances out the spice. Made with a short list of high-quality ingredients like chickpeas, tahini and Chilean extra-virgin olive oil, this hummus has a smooth, creamy mouthfeel.
“The hummus adds loads of flavor and makes this thick, rich soup totally dairy and gluten free, so there is no need for heavy cream, cornstarch or flour,” Banyas said. “It’s as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to eat.”
To find more fiesta-worthy recipe ideas, visit freshcravings.com.
Red Pepper Chickpea Soup with Gazpacho Relish and Tortilla Croutons
Recipe courtesy of Stephanie Banyas
Servings: 2
1/4 cup finely diced seeded English cucumbers
1/4 cup finely diced seeded Roma tomato
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, juice only, divided
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cups canned low-sodium vegetable stock, divided
1/2 cup Fresh Cravings Restaurant Style Salsa (mild or medium)
1 container (10 ounces) Fresh Cravings Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
tri-color fried tortilla strips
In small bowl, combine cucumber, tomato, onion and cilantro. Add half the lime juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let sit at room temperature.
In blender or food processor, process 1 cup stock and salsa until smooth.
Pour mixture into medium saucepan. Add remaining stock and hummus, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining lime juice.
Divide soup between two bowls and top with relish and tortilla strips.
Spicy Shrimp Remoulade in Lettuce Leaves
Recipe courtesy of Stephanie Banyas
Yield: 8 leaves
Shrimp:
1/2 cup Fresh Cravings Chunky Salsa (mild or medium)
9 cups water, divided
ice water
1 lime, sliced
12 sprigs cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound fresh shrimp (31–35), peeled and deveined
Remoulade Sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chile powder or smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup Fresh Cravings Chunky Salsa (mild or medium), drained well
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced, plus additional for garnish
8 butter or Boston lettuce leaves
cilantro leaves, for garnish
lime wedges, for garnish
chopped black olives, for garnish (optional)
chopped hard-cooked eggs, for garnish (optional)
To make shrimp: In food processor or blender, blend salsa with 1 cup water until smooth.
Fill large bowl with ice water; set aside. Transfer salsa mixture to large saucepan and add remaining water, lime slices, cilantro sprigs and salt. Bring to boil over high heat; stir in shrimp, cover, turn off heat and let shrimp poach off heat in liquid 10 minutes.
Drain in colander. Transfer shrimp to ice bath and let sit 5 minutes. Drain again.
To make remoulade sauce: In large bowl, whisk mayonnaise, mustard, lime juice, chile powder, sugar, salt and pepper until combined; fold in salsa.
Put half of remoulade sauce in large bowl. Fold in shrimp and cilantro, adding remoulade as needed to make mixture creamier; taste for seasoning. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 6 hours.
Arrange lettuce cups on platter. Spoon equal portions shrimp mixture into lettuce cups. Garnish with cilantro leaves; lime wedges; black olives, if desired; and eggs, if desired.
Mexican Style Paella with Chicken and Sausage
Recipe courtesy of Stephanie Banyas
Servings: 4-6
1 container (16 ounces) Fresh Cravings Chunky Salsa (mild or medium)
12 ounces chicken tenders, patted dry
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional, to taste, divided
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
12 ounces fully cooked chicken sausage or pork sausage links
3 cups low-sodium canned chicken stock, water or combination
2 cups long-grain rice
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
lime wedges
Remove 1/2 cup salsa and set aside. In blender or food processor, process remaining salsa until smooth.
Put chicken in bowl, add 1/2 cup pureed salsa and toss to coat. Cover and marinate at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours in refrigerator.
In large, high-sided saute pan over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil until it begins to shimmer. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until both sides are golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to plate, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes then slice into 2-inch pieces.
Add remaining oil to pan and heat until shimmering; cook sausage until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to plate, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Slice on bias into 2-inch pieces.
Wipe out pan with paper towels. Add remaining pureed salsa and stock; bring to boil. Add rice and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring mixture to boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low; cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 18 minutes.
Remove from heat and sprinkle peas on top. Let sit, covered with lid, 5 minutes. Fluff with fork then stir in chicken, sausage, peas and cilantro. Spoon remaining salsa on top.
