7 Recipes From Dwayne Wade’s Chef You Must Try

Impress your friends by eating like Dwayne Wade with 7 tasty recipes from his private chef, Richard Ingraham that you must try this weekend.

If you’re a fan of rich, delicious entrees that feature seafood, citrus fruits and vegetables grab a copy of Chef Richard Ingraham’s book, Eating Well to Win Inspired Living Through Inspired Cooking.

Born and raised in the Magic City, Ingraham’s speciality meals will keep you fit and toned. A fan of seafood, specifically conch, due to his Bahamian upbringing, Ingraham’s cookbook includes seafood dishes made with a unique twist.

“I love it and the passion I put into it,” Ingraham says about his passion for cooking.  

Don’t take my word for it. Instead, take Wade’s words about the the student of the Art Institute of Atlanta whom he refers to as “family” in the foreword of his book.

“For the past 10 years, Richard Ingraham has been an integral part of my career as an NBA athlete, helping me gain a better understanding of food, health and nutrition,” says Wade in the foreword. “Whenever I’m home, you can find Rich in my kitchen preparing meals that help me recover and keep me in shape. When I’m off at practice or traveling, he’s holding it down and preparing meals for my wife and three boys in our Chicago home.”

Even local chefs are a fan of Ingraham’s cooking.

“It’s easy to understand why the flavors come across so soulful and heartfelt when you spend a minute with Chef Richard,” says Dena Marino, chef and co-owner of MC Kitchen in Miami’s Design District. “His passion and philosophy for food are addictive, and I’m glad to call him a friend.”

Ingraham isn’t just a mainstay in Wade’s kitchen. He’s also a staple in South Florida’s foodie scene, hosting a cooking tutorial during Booking the Cooks: An Evening with Celebrity Chefs in partnership with Slow Food Miami, Miami Book Fair, and Miami-Dade College. His dish was honored as “The Best Thing I Ever Ate at the Beach” at the Food Network and Cooking Channel South Beach Food and Wine Festival.

As a celebrity chef, Ingraham has been making culinary art for over a decade for celebs such as actor Dule Hill, Sean Combs, Chris Bosh, Blake Griffin and Kelly Rowland, specializing in healthy meals that are easy to metabolize.

In his debut book, you’ll find mouth-watering dishes like Ingraham’s spicy lobster and sweet potato grits, coffee-rubbed bison rib eye and red velvet waffles.

No need to worry if Eating Well to Win has your dessert needs covered, too. According to Ingraham, “Life is too short to skip decadent desserts.”

Eating Well to Win Inspired Living Through Inspired Cooking features 172 pages of recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

Ingraham is an ambassador and partner for GOYA Foods’ My Plate, a program that promotes alternative cooking methods to parents of school-aged children. He’s also an advisory board member to the Miami Culinary Institute and Chef Start.

Breakfast

Smoked Salmon and Avocado Toast

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of country-style bread, toasted
• 2 small avocados, peeled, pitted
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• ½ of a red onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces of smoked salmon
• 1 teaspoon of fresh chives, chopped
• Half a cup of microgreens
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Directions:

1. Place avocados in a medium bowl and smash with the back of a fork until fairly smooth.
2. Stir in lemon juice, onions, dill, salt and ground pepper.
3. Add chives, microgreens, lemon zest and olive oil in a separate bowl and gently stir.
4. Spread avocado on each slice of bread and top with two ounces of smoked salmon.
5. Top each avocado toast and smoked salmon with microgreens and serve immediately.

Collard Green and Mushroom Toast with Eggplant Puree

Ingredients for toast:

• 2 cups of wild mushrooms, preferably velvet pioppini, brown clamshell or forest nameko
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
• ¼ cup of red onions, sliced thin
• 2 teaspoons of grape seed oil
• 2 cups of collard greens, large stems and leaves removed
• 1 tablespoon of fig balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground pepper

Ingredients for eggplant puree:

• 2 medium eggplants
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoon of Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon of ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Directions for eggplants:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Split the eggplants lengthwise. Using a paring knife create two slits inside each eggplant halves. You should have 8 slits in total.
3. Place one clove of garlic inside each slit.
4. Coat the white flesh of all the eggplants with olive oil and season with Kosher salt and ground pepper. Place each eggplant half on a baking sheet with the flat side face down.
5. Bake eggplants until the flesh is soft and you can penetrate it without resistance when poked with a toothpick. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6. Scrape the flesh away then add eggplants into a blender or food processor, making sure garlic is included.
7. Season eggplant with paprika, one teaspoon of Kosher salt and one teaspoon of ground pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Directions for toast:

1. In a large saute pan, cook mushrooms, garlic and onions in grape seed oil over medium-high heat. Cook until browned and moisture is removed from mushrooms.
2. Add collard greens to the saute pan and cook until wilted.
3. Season mixture with vinegar, Kosher salt, ground pepper and remove from heat.
4. Spread eggplant puree on toasted bread. Then, top eggplant puree with mushroom and served immediately.

Lunch

Curry Sweet Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 medium leeks, chopped and cleaned (sidenote: use the white parts only)
• 1 Bosc pear, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 tablespoon of curry powder
• 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of ground pepper
• 3 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ cup of unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Melt coconut oil in a medium saucepan over heat.
2. Add in curry powder, pears, leeks, Kosher salt and ground pepper. Stir until pears and leeks soften.
3. Add vegetable broth and bring mixture to a boil for less than one minute.
4. Lower heat to medium and add sweet potatoes.
5. As the soup simmers, add in bay leaf and allow soup to cook until sweet potatoes soften.
6. Remove the bay leaf and pour the soup into a blender. Blend soup until puree.
7. Pour soup back into a saucepan and whisk in coconut milk while it simmers in low heat.
8. Allow soup to simmer for 10 minutes. If it’s too thick add more broth.

Conch Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of fresh conch, tenderized and diced
• 2 stalks of celery, minced
• 1 habanero pepper, minced
• 3 limes, juiced
• 2 oranges, segmented
• 2 oranges, juiced
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• ¼ cup of red onions, minced
• 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of agave nectar

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and adjust seasonings.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from the refrigerator and serve.

Dinner

Roasted Sea Bass and Mushroom Broth with Quinoa, Sweet Potatoes and Kale

Ingredients for quinoa:

• 3 tablespoons of grape seed oil
• ½ a small onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups of quinoa
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of ground pepper
• 4 cups of kale, stems removed and chopped

Ingredients for sweet potatoes:

• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into half inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
• ½  a teaspoon of cumin
• ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon

Ingredients for sea bass:

• 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil
• Four 6-ounce skinless fillets of sea bass
• 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of ground pepper

Ingredients for onions:

• 1 yellow onion halved and sliced thinly
• ½ a teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning
• 1 ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• Canola oil

Ingredients for mushroom broth:

• 1 pound of button mushrooms
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 cup of onions, chopped
• 4 cups of cold water
• 2 pounds of cremini mushrooms, washed, trimmed and quartered
• ½ cup of grape seed oil
• 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of ground pepper

Directions for sweet potatoes:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil with syrup over low heat.
3. Add sweet potatoes, coconut oil, Kosher salt, ground pepper and spices into saucepan.
4. Spread the sweet potatoes in an even layer on a large baking tray.
5. Roast sweet potatoes, occasionally tossing, until tender. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Directions for quinoa:

1. Heat one tablespoon of canola oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic, stirring often until softened.
2. Add quinoa to the onion mixture and stir. Add the broth and season with Kosher salt and ground pepper. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the quinoa has fully absorbed the liquid. Remove quinoa from the heat and set aside.
4. Heat the remaining two tablespoons of canola oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the kale to the pan and cook until it begins to wilt and reduce. Season with Kosher salt and ground pepper.
5. In a large serving bowl, toss the cooked quinoa with the kale and sweet potatoes. Adjust seasoning to your needs.
6. Spoon quinoa mixture in the center of a bowl.

Directions for onions:

1. Heat oil in a deep fat fryer.
2. Mix flour, paprika and Creole seasoning in a medium bowl.
3. Thinly slice onion into rings.
4. Toss rings in the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and deep fry until golden brown.
5. Drain well and serve as a side dish.

Directions for mushroom broth:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large saucepan, over medium-low heat simmer button mushrooms, garlic, thyme and onions in water for about an hour.
3. In a medium bowl, toss cremini mushrooms with grape seed oil and season with Kosher salt and ground pepper.
4. Pour mushrooms on a foil-lined baking sheet, and spread into an even layer. Roast mushrooms until they become soft. Remove mushrooms from the oven and put aside until needed.
5. Strain broth into a separate pot through a fine strainer and discard solids.
6. Add roasted mushrooms to the broth and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning.

Directions for sea bass:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Season fish with Kosher salt and ground pepper on both sides.
3. Heat oil in a large ovenproof pan over high heat.
4. Add fish and cook without moving for three minutes, until fish is golden.
5. Turn fish and roast for five minutes until they’re just opaque in the center.
6. Serve fish on the quinoa, ladle broth on top and garnish with onions.

Grilled Jerk Lobster with Rum Raisin Mandarin Salsa

(Sidenote: Prepare the rum raisin mandarin salsa one day before you grill the jerk lobster.)

Ingredients for jerk lobster:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 medium scallions, chopped
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of five spices
• 1 tablespoon of allspice berries, coarsely grounded
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons of orange juice
• ¼ cup of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil
• 4 medium lobster tails, cleaned shell removed except the tail fin

Ingredients for salsa:

• ½ cup of golden raisins
• 3 tablespoons of spiced rum
• ½ of a medium onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger root, minced
• 2 medium scallions, chopped
• ¼ cup of cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 cup of fresh pineapple cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 cups mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of ground pepper

Directions for lobster:

1. Light your grill.
2. Combine onion, scallions, scotch bonnet, garlic, five-spice powder, allspice, ground pepper, thyme, nutmeg and Kosher salt in blender. Blend until mixture is thick. Add orange juice, soy sauce and oil into the mixture and continue to blend.
3. Brush the marinade over the lobster tails making sure they are fully coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Remove lobster tails from the refrigerator. Insert water-soaked, wooden skewers into the tail lengthwise.
5. Grill the lobster over a medium-hot fire, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked for four minutes.
6. Transfer the jerk lobster to a platter.

Directions for salsa:

1. Combine raisins and rum in a small bowl. Let raisins soak for a day in the refrigerator.
2. When you’re ready to use drain and reserve.
3. Mix raisins, onions, bell peppers, ginger, scallions, cilantro, lime juice, honey, pineapple and mandarins in a medium-sized bowl. Toss and season with Kosher salt and ground pepper.
4. Dress the lobster tail with salsa.

Dessert

Sweet Potato Waffles with Caramelized Bananas

Ingredients for waffles:

• 3 cups of white, whole-wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons of baking powder
• 1½  teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 2 cups of buttermilk
• ¼ cup of maple syrup
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 teaspoon of bourbon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of mashed, baked sweet potatoes
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• 2 medium bananas, sliced thinly

Ingredients for bananas:

• 3 firm, ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of spiced rum
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions for waffles:

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly mix.
3. Crack the eggs and separate the egg yolks from the whites in a separate bowl.
4. Mix milk, sour cream, melted butter, egg yolks, vanilla and sweet potato mash into a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
5. Beat the egg whites with an electric stand mixer at a high speed until stiff peaks form.
6. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to fold ingredients together. Do not mix it and turn it into a runny mixture.
7. Coat waffle iron with non-stick spray. Add a batch of batter using a ladle. Then top batter with four to 5 pieces of banana before closing waffle iron.
8. Cook until browned and continue until batter is complete.

Directions for bananas:

1. Melt butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-heat.
2. Add brown sugar and allow to melt. Then add bananas on top of mixture. Cook mixture for 20 seconds.
3. Add rum and cinnamon, then carefully turn bananas and cook for another 40 seconds. Baste bananas with rum caramel sauce.
4. Remove from heat and place bananas on top of waffles.