Seared Halibut with Shiitake Mushrooms

For my Mom's birthday we had seared Halibut with shiitake mushrooms for the main course. I've been trying to eat a lot of mushrooms lately as I have this strange feeling that mushrooms, onions and garlic are all super foods for our brains. It's a combination of them being here on earth for so long, plus their many layers, and for mushrooms their ability to communicate through microscopic roots miles away. There is a special feeling I get when I eat fresh organic, hearty mushrooms. This shiitakes I picked up at the Friday, Heart of the City Farmer's Market. I recommend serving this with salad and a hearty rustic bread or over a bead of quinoa. White wine and some Carlos Santana. 

Seared Halibut with Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 fillet of Halibut

1 lemon, zest & juice

1 tablespoon of capers

1 pint of shiitake mushrooms

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat

2. Sprinkle the halibut with salt and ground pepper on each side. Squeeze the lemon juice on it.

3. Sear the halibut in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes per side. The halibut should turn white the whole way through and have a nice golden hue on the top and bottom. Remove the halibut from the pan and put on a plate. Do not overcook as it will become too dry.

4. Add the mushrooms to the pan, drizzle a little more olive oil on them. Sprinkle the lemon zest and capers, salt and pepper on the mushrooms. Add a little more olive oil if you want.

5. For presentation I cut shallow wells in the halibut and stuffed the shiitake mushrooms into it. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Seared Halibut + Bluegrass on the Beach

Of some of my favorite things in life, live music, seafood, beaches rank in the top 10. I recently had the pleasure of all three on a Sunday in San Francisco with a good friend. The picture above is of a lemony seared halibut with a caper onion sauce, roasted Romanesco and red quinoa on the side. Recipes below

A couple Sundays ago there was a mini version of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass on Ocean Beach in honor of Warren Hellman, our beacon of the bay. There was a lovely montage of pictures and quotes from his life lining the beach. 

The quote above reads “money is like manure, it stinks if you hold on to it, but if you spread it around good things grow.” This from a man who created a trust so that Bay Area music lovers can enjoy Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in Golden Gate for another 20 years! Along with creating a free health clinic in San Francisco and keeping the SF Ballet afloat, these philanthropic efforts are just the tip of the iceberg. He’s an inspiration and I’m grateful to enjoy the fruits of his legacy in San Francisco. Here is the line up:

 For a late lunch – we had the famous Lobster Roll from Sam’s Chowder Mobile – the official truck of Half Moon Bay’s Sam’s Chowder House. The lobster roll lived up to its expectation of being sufficiently meaty, buttery, & delicious. I was happy they didn’t serve it with chips and coleslaw as last time – that just lowered the bar on the over all Lobster Roll experience.

 As the sun set and in true San Francisco style, clouds rolled in and temperature dropped a solid 15 degrees we packed up and went home.

We stopped to pick up some line caught Halibut, a tomato and some apple juice – AKA brain juice.  After a long day outside, I can’t think of many other things I’d rather do than cook up a feast. Cooking, and being in the kitchen, is relaxing and affords a safe environment for creative experimentation. In the world of fish I’m most familiar cooking salmon and tilapia. Halibut is still a little new for me, but I'm excited to learn it's ways...The menu was inspired by the contents of my refrigerator which included cilantro, capers, Meyer lemons, and romanseco. Pronounced Ro-Ma-Ne-sCO, the name sounds like a tall dark and handsome Italian….but it's the tastier cousin of the cauliflower.

K, enough jibber jabber - time for dinner!

Lemony Seared Halibut with Caper Sauce

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Capers
2 halibut fillets
Salt and Pepper
1/3 white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup white wine (plus more to drink while cooking)
1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons capers
1 Meyer lemon (zest & juice)

Directions:
1. Get your music going and a glass of wine. I recommend the German composer Tya, Akwaba
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the halibut fillets
4. Sear the halibut on each side until lightly golden brown on each side. About 4 minutes per side.
5. Set the halibut aside and cover with foil to retain heat
6. Add some more olive oil
7. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute
8. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Bring to a simmer to reduce the sauce
9. Turn off the heat and add in the butter, capers, lemon zest and juice
10. Serve the sauce over the halibut fillets

Ideas for serving:

• roasted vegetables
• quinoa or couscous
• grilled asparagus
• a slab of thick country bread
• dessert: green tea or ginger ice cream

Warren in the Army

Butternut Squash Stuffed with Bison, Quinoa, Seasonal Veggies ~ Farmer's Market Feast

I was unfamiliar with bison, but have been craving meat for a while so I did some research on "healthier" meats and found that bison is actually the healthiest...and I can honestly say, the tastiest! For my recent 'Farmer's Market Cooking Class' we prepared a main dish of squash stuffed with bison, quinoa and seasonal vegetables.  Hearty, wholesome, healthy and I am a big fan of the Golden Gate Meat Company - with their helpful & knowledgeable staff. I've purchased delicious soppressata, prosciutto, and bison from them. If you are cooking a meat meal, I highly recommend the Golden Gate Meat Company! 

Health Benefits:

• Bison are handled as little as possible. Their lives are spent roaming grass fields and they spend minimal time in feedlots
• Bison has as any many Omega-3s as Salmon!
• Bison are not subjected to questionable hormones, drugs or chemicals
• The high iron content and low cholesterol make this an especially good meat for women
• Bison has high concentrations of selenium, a natural element that acts a mood elevator...this is the real "happy meal" - take that McDonald's!

                              

Ecological Benefits:

• As bison graze fields, their manure and urine supply important nutrients for plants. As their hoofs stir the soil and create small pockets to capture moisture in the earth
• Because bison are undomesticated, they interact with the land as nature intended

For our squash, we gathered mini butternut squash (the cutest squash EVER!) from Eatwell Farm & carnival squash (less cute but fun name) which are a close relative to the acorn squash. Carnival squash are like the cousins who like to party. It may be hard to tell, but these butternut squash are just a little bit longer than my hand. Adorable!

 The key to cooking bison can be summed up in two words: LOW & SLOW. So if you are making a meal with bison, relax, don't rush, and enjoy all the elements of this magnificent animal that has been a part of North America long before us. 

Butternut Squash Stuffed with Bison, Quinoa, Seasonal Veggies 

(8 servings)

Ingredients:
2 pounds bison
2 mini butternut squash
2 carnival squash
2 cups red quinoa
Leeks
Carrots

Celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried fennel seeds
Olive oil

For topping:

feta cheese

pumpkin seeds

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut the butter nut squash & carnival squash in half. Remove the seeds. Place in a glass dish, cut side up. Brush squash lightly with olive oil. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until squash are easily penetrable with a fork.
3.  In a pot add the dried red quinoa with water in a ration of 1:2. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer and keep the pot covered until all the liquid is absorbed. About 20 minutes. When down, fluff with a fork and set aside.
4. Slice the leeks, carrots and celery into even slices
5. Add bison to a pan, over LOW heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
***Because bison is significantly less fat than other meats, it will NOT shrink down in size as much so do not use this to test if the bison is done, because you will likely overcook it! Instead just look for a nice even brown color.

5. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bison from the pan and set aside in a bowl but leave all the natural juices and oils in the pan.
6. Add about 4 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and turn the heat up to medium. Once the oils are hot, add in the leeks, carrots and celery, and dried herbs and cook for 4-7 minutes

7. When squash are done, remove from the oven and scoop out the insides, leaving about 1/2 inch all the way around to maintain it's shape. Add the squash insides to the vegetable mixture, along with the quinoa and bison. Gently mix to combine.
8. Stuff the squash with the bison and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle some feta cheese on top and a couple pinches of pumpkin seeds.
9. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Leftovers (if you have any!) make yummy lunches or can be added to salads.

A little music to take you away while you are cooking the bison low and slow...

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California Tacos

I love tacos. I love being creative with them and amping them up with new, unexpected ingredients. Inspired by Aaron's incredible Korean/Californian tacos - I decided to try something different than the usual tacos. I made a quick trip to the wonderful Mi Pueblo supermarket in San Rafael to pick up cheap ripe avocados, 10 limes for a buck (haven't seen that since my days of China Town in NYC!) and a few other seasonal staples. A few hours later and with a hungry mom and sister waiting at the table - I laid out the spread for these California Tacos. Why California? Because I can't figure out where else they would be from!

California Tacos

I serve these with whole wheat flat bread tortillas (low carb, high fiber - sorry if this sounds like an infomercial - but Trader Joe's has some excellent low cal tortillas!)

Ingredients + Directions:

Cabbage salad:
2 cups red cabbage, shredded to extract the juices
3 carrots grated
2 corn ears - husked
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons apple juice
half a lime - juiced
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, mix to combine, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Arugula Pesto
2 cups arugula
6 cloves garlic - mashed in a mortar and pestle
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup walnuts
lemon juice

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste.

Tofu Pieces:
Tofu chopped into rectangles
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Ground pepper

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Place the tofu rectangles on the skillet. Sprinkle with garlic powder and ground pepper. Fry for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Guacamole
2 avocados
1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley
1/3 white onion, chopped
1 ear corn, husked
1/2 lime juiced

You know the guacamole drill. Prepare and combine :)

Thai Lettuce Wraps

For one of my best friend's, Maxine's, 24th birthday - we had a big birthday feast at my apartment and one of the main dishes were these 'assemble-your-own' Thai lettuce wraps. My first experience with lettuce wraps was in 2005 at the Cheesecake Factory. I'd say that the lettuce wraps are on par with the cheesecake at this chain. Crisp cold wedges of iceberg lettuce holding a warm tofu or chicken mixture and an assortment of freshly grated vegetables. These are also a healthy and delicious party food that is easy to prepare - the majority of the work is in prepping all the ingredients. Thai lettuce wraps should be served with an assortment of sauces. We hat a sweet and sour peach chili sauce, a hot chili sauce and a smoky Thai peanut sauce. Here is the birthday girl with her lettuce wrap:

Thai Lettuce Wraps
(Serves 8)

Ingredients:
1 head of iceberg lettuce
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 thumb-size pieces of ginger, minced
2 red chilis minced
1 cup firm tofu, sliced into matchsticks
1 cup cooked chicken
2 carrots, grated
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 eggs
1 cup shredded red cabbage
6 green onions, sliced into matchsticks
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Canola oil

Toppings:
1 bunch of Thai basil, thinly sliced
1 cup peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions:
1. Pour oil into a wok over medium high heat. Add garlic, ginger and chili. Stir-fry for one minute until fragrant.
2. Add the chicken, carrots, cabbage and green onions. As you stir fry add the lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce. Add in the tofu, toss to coat with the sauces and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
3. Push the ingredients to the side of the wok and crack the eggs into the wok. Stir-fry quickly to break the yolk. Mix in with the other ingredients.
4. Remove from heat and do a taste test. This is one of the most important parts about preparing stir-fry. If it is too salty add in additional ingredients to absorb the sauce, if it needs more punch - add in a little more lime or fish sauce.
5. Cut off the stem part of the iceberg lettuce and separate the leaves.
6. Place leaves on a dish, stir-fry filling in a separate dish, sauces in small bowls, and any additional toppings on a plate (i.e. sliced cucumbers, bean sprouts, basil, crushed peanuts, lime wedges). Enjoy!

Ka Chi & Mushroom Medley

One sunny Sunday in June my mom and I went to the San Francisco Free Folk Festival at Presidio Middle School. This progressive school has hallways covered with thought provoking and inspirational posters and quotes. It's uplifting to be a space like this - doesn't it seem that our offices and work place should be similarly decorated? I feel that we would all benefit tremendously to look up and see posters of outer space explorations, quotes from Martin Luther King, hand drawn book covers. Aside from the welcoming halls of this Middle School - every other classroom had musicians jamming inside. There was the peaceful Irish Jam Room with fiddlers, violinists and flutists taking you over the rolling green hills of Irish countryside. There were old men and women teaching Contra dancing in one room. An all women's a capella group taking you back to their rowdy nights in the 60's with funny lyrics and saucy moves. But, our favorite performance was Ka Chi, an impressive artist and musician performing in the auditorium. His music is a mixture of Acoustic/Indie/Neo-Soul but he is so much more than these categories....His voice is incredibly soothing and natural. His lyrics are so moving they make your heart calm and your soul come alive...

After being taken to that alternate reality that only live music can take you - we went to the wonderful market on 22nd Avenue and Irving for cheap and fresh produce. Mushrooms were on sale so we bought oyster mushrooms, button mushrooms, shitaki mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, some bok choy and tofu. Back at my apartment I whipped up this soothing mushroom medley. Not as wonderful as Ka Chi's music. But on a Sunday evening, as the fog rolls in - this warm meal tasted perfect.

Mushroom Medley
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 small bunch Oyster mushrooms
1 small bunch Button mushrooms
1 small bunch Enoki mushrooms
1 small bunch Shitaki mushrooms
1 cup tofu, cut into small rectangle cubes
1 bunch Bok choy
2 servings Quinoa
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon ginger sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Olive oil
Garlic powder

Directions:
1. Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the box.
2. Pour some olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add the minced garlic. When garlic is fragrant, add the tofu rectangles. Drizzle a dash of fish sauce and oyster sauce on the tofu and cook until the edges are brown and the tofu has a nice golden tan. This makes the outside nice and textured! Set aside.

3. Add the mushrooms to the pan, pour the remaining sauces over the mushrooms and saute until they are all coated evenly and soften - about 5-7 minutes. Add the bok choy and saute for just 1-2 minutes more until it softens but does not become overly limp.
4. Turn the heat to low and add in the tofu, sprinkle the garlic powder and sesame seeds over your dish and gently toss to incorporate the sesame seeds. Serve in bowls over a bed of quinoa.

Summer Salad with Grilled Shrimp

As main course at our Farmer's Market Feast we had a delicious summer salad of all local ingredients and juicy grilled shrimp. This was as simple and delicious meal that definitely tied all the pieces together. Here is a photo of the gang with our meal sitting on our deck:

For this salad the mixed greens were from Heirloom Organic Farms in Hollister. We met with David from the farm who was very knowledgeable about all the different types of greens and shared samples with us of various flowers and furry greens. The large summer tomatoes and crisp cucumbers in our salad were from Capay Farms, our avocados were from the kind Will of Brokaw Nursey in Ventura County. The shrimp was from San Francisco Fish Company at the Ferry Building. We had a simple tangy lime and sesame dressing to tie together the shrimp and bitter greens.

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2.5 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and divined

2 ears corn
3 small tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
2/3 large cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 large avocado, thinly sliced
8 cups loosely packed mixed greens

2 tablespoons mint leaves
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground pepper
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Directions:
1. Mix the chili garlic sauce, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add in the shrimp and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Heat olive oil on medium high heat on a skillet. Add half the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes or until done. Use tongs and transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the corn ears in the water for 5 minutes then run under cold water. Remove the kernels from the ears with a sharp knife.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and pepper.
5. In a large salad bowl, place the mixed greens, corn, tomato wedges, avocado, cucumber and mint. Place a few pieces of grilled shrimp on top and drizzle the dressing over the salad. Enjoy!

Spring Pepper Stir-Fry

 There are so many colorful peppers at the farmer's market these days it's rather exciting! For a quick, easy, healthy, satisfying meal - the wok will be your best friend. Some friends were over for dinner and we had this beautiful seasonal stir-fry over a bed of quinoa with a side spinach salad. Along with a glass of white wine - it was a perfect evening meal. There isn't much to this dish - it's just having really good ingredients. One important thing to keep in mind when making this is because there are so many ingredients that need to be prepped - it is key to slice or cut them so that they are all the same size, or as close to as possible. I know I bring it up all the time, but I am seriously obsessed with the Saturday Embarcadero Farmer's Market in SF. The selection is truly incredible. It is hard to go wrong. I made this dish vegetarian, but you can easily add chicken.

Spring Pepper Stir-Fry

(Makes 4-5 generous servings)

Ingredients:

5 garlic bulbs, minced

2 red bell peppers, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 orange bell pepper, sliced

3/4 cup sugar snap peas, ends removed

1/2 cup firm tofu, cut into matchsticks

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1/3 cup corn kernels

3 eggs

Vegetable oil

Lemon Juice

Ginger oil

Turmeric

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in the wok over medium heat and add the garlic. When garlic is brown and fragrant, add the fennel and stir-fry for 1 minute. 

2. Add in the tofu and season with turmeric and a dash of ginger oil. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until tofu starts to brown slightly.

3. Add in the bell peppers, snap peas and corn kernels. Season with more turmeric and garlic powder (optional). Drizzle some fresh lemon juice and the ginger oil over the vegetables. 

4. In a separate skillet, over medium high heat, add some olive oil and crack the eggs and scramble until cooked through. 

5. Add the scrambled egg to the vegetable stir-fry. Squeeze on some more lemon juice, sprinkle some turmeric. Battam bing batta boom. 

Ono, Maui Style

So at some point in my life, I am going to live in Maui. It's been decided. I love Maui. I love island life. I love Ono. I'm not sure if we can buy Ono on the main land - I haven't done sufficient research however I imagine that on coastal regions, this delicious tender fish is available. I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Maui over winter break and after, spending most the day in the ocean, I loved preparing a meal for my mom and sister using local and seasonal ingredients. Ono is the Hawaiian name for fish and it is also referred to as Wahoo fish. This tropical fish is highly regarded by many gourmets. I'd never had it before and my sister ordered a butter Ono one night at a restaurant. After one taste, I was hooked and decided to create my own Ono dinner the following evening. In accordance with the easy life on Maui, Ono is very easy to prepare. It doesn't take much time, just a little island love. For my first time making this dish, I prepared it with garlicky sauteed zucchini, and side dish of roasted brussle sprouts and mini yellow potatoes. Here is a pic of the side dish:

Ono, Maui Style
(4 servings...although 3 will finish this)

Ingredients:
2 large fillets of ono
4 thin slices of lemon
Fresh lemon juice - to squeeze over fillets
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 small zucchinis thinly sliced
Dried oregano
Ono seasoning (sea salt, cracked pepper, ginger, garlic, alea salt)
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add in the minced garlic and cook for 30-40 seconds.
2. Place the zucchini slices over the bottom of the pan and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. While zucchini slices are on pan, cut a slice in the Ono fillets, don't cut all the way through, just large enough to put the lemon slices in.
4. Put in the lemon slices in the fillets.
5. Place the fillets in the pan and sprinkle with Ono seasoning, oregano,  and lemon juice.
6. Cover the pan and let the fillets cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip fillets over, and season the other side, cover, and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until the fillets are cooked through. You want them to be white and flaky.

Antipasto Platter for the Masses

I made this for our holiday party as a salute to Italy. This dish is a sure crowd pleaser, very easy to make, and it tastes even better when prepared ahead of time. This dish was the first to be polished off and it probably took me the least amount of time to prepare. This recipe is adapted from this Mixed Antipasto recipe from epicurious.com.

Antipasto Platter for the Masses

(12-16 servings)

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

3 large garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary

2 teaspoons crumbled dried basil

2 teaspoons crumbled dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

1 cup olive oil

6 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

4 fennel bulbs, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

6 bell peppers, assorted colors, roasted and cut into strips

1 1/2 lbs stuffed green brine-cured olives

1/2 lb sun-drain tomatoes packed in oil, drained cut into strips

1 1/2 lbs marinated bocconcini (small mozzarella balls)

1 lb soppressata (hard Italian sausage), cut into 1/4 inch thick slices and quartered

2 15 ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained well

2/3 cup fresh parsley, minced, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1. To prepare the marinade, whisk together the garlic, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, rosemary, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Have a friend pour the olive oil in a stream into the bowl as you whisk it until the marinade is emulsified.

2. In a large pot of boiling water black the carrots and fennel or 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are crisp tender, drain them and plunge them into a bowl of ice water. Let the vegetables cool and drain them well.

3. In a large bowl toss the carrots, fennel, roasted peppers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, bocconcini, soppressata, artichoke hearts, marinade and the parsley until the antipasto is combined well. Cover and chill overnight.

4. Transfer the antipasto to a platter, garnish with parsley sprigs and serve at room temperature. Bon Appetito!

Pam's Vegetarian Quesadilla

Friday was my last day at work and for the past six months I had the pleasure of sitting next to this awesome and very funny girl named Pam. She sent me this picture from her phone (shout out to the Droid!) of a quesadilla she made for dinner. While the picture is slightly blurry, you can tell it looks very yummy! The recipe is quick, easy, healthy and filling. Enjoy!

Pam's Vegetarian Quesadillas

(Makes 3 quesadillas)

Ingredients:

1 can organic black beans

1 whole tomato, diced

1/2 white onion, chopped

2/3 cup shredded cheese, (Pam recommends Monterrey and Cheddar)

1/2 avocado, sliced

3 whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

1. In a pan, saute the black beans, tomato, and onion. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes.

2. Place a tortilla on a plate and sprinkle the cheese on it, place the avocado slices on it. Microwave the plate for 30 seconds.

3. Place the bean mixture on the tortilla, fold, press, enjoy!

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

I love enchiladas! This is maybe the second time in my life eating enchiladas and my first time making them. So easy and delicious! What is great, is that it is really easy to make these super healthy too! With a little extra effort in your ingredient shopping, you can find healthy versions of all the ingredients.  I don't cook with turkey very often so I thought this would be the appropriate time to give it a swing. I'm looking forward to making many more variations of these enchiladas with all sorts of different fillings. After assembling the enchiladas you bake them in a dish with the sauce and cheese, they become succulent and the tortillas absorb the flavors of the sauce, the melts and oozes deliciousness. I served these with fat free sour cream and some hot sauce. Last Thursday evening my good friend and his friends came for dinner. Any leftover filling you have, and I had a lot, can be used to make breakfast burritos, tacos, or mixed in with pasta to make a lovely spring time pasta salad.

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

(Serves 5 with more filling for leftovers)

Ingredients:

Tortillas (I use Tumaro's Multi Grain Tortillas)

1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground turkey

1 1/2 cans low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed (I use Eden's Garden)

5 small green chilies, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 1/2 cups diced Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

4 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (A soy substitute for cheese works perfectly)

Enchilada sauce:

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 small green chilies, chopped

3 tablespoons sofrito (Mexican tomato base)

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 teaspoons cumin

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

For the sauce:

1. In a medium sauce pan drizzle olive oil and saute the garlic until golden and fragrant. Add the chilies, sofrito, tomato sauce, cayenne powder, cumin and chicken broth. Pinch in the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for 7 minutes. Set the sauce aside until you are ready to use it.

For the filling:

2. In a skillet over medium high heat, drizzle some olive oil and cook the turkey until it is evenly browned. Use a spatula to break up the turkey as it is cooking. When turkey is browned add in the garlic, onions, black beans, cilantro, chilies, diced tomatoes, cumin and cayenne. Mix well, cover with some tin foil and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle a little olive oil over a 13x9 dish. Plop a generous amount of the turkey filling on the tortillas and wrap them up and place them in the dish, seam side down. When dish is full, pour the enchilada sauce over the wraps, sprinkle on the grated cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted. Top with a little low fat sour cream and cilantro for garnish. Enjoy!

Chicken Marbella...Marinated Over Night!

 

This first time I made and ate chicken marbella was with my cousin, Megan, and friend, Sarah. However since we were just getting together in the evening we hadn't marinated the chicken overnight. The chicken was still so delicious that I couldn't imagine how it would taste had it been marinated overnight so I had been eager to try it! For Andy's birthday dinner, since I knew of it a day in advance, I was able to prepare the chicken the night before and let it marinate over night. This recipe is right out of the Sliver Palate Cookbook and the only modifications I made were increasing the olives and prunes. After reading many reviews on this recipe I have learned that if you don't have all night, it's fine to marinate the chicken for 5 hours. I served this with cumin curry popovers and a fennel and apple salad. This dish is really easy to pull together and is great for dinner parties, enjoy!

Chicken Marbella...Marinated Over Night!

(Adapted from Simply Recipes adapted from Silver Palate)

Ingredients:

4 large chicken breasts

1/2 head garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons dried oregano

Course salt and ground pepper

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup pitted prunes

1 cup pitted Spanish green olives

1/4 cup capers with a little bit of juice

3 bay leaves

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely with the marinade. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, several hours or overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with the pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest point, yield clear yellow juice (not pink).

Pad Thai...Another Way

Just another Pad Thai dish, made with slight variations. I used whole chilies this time, rather than chopping them up. I used green cabbage, instead of red. I scrambled the egg in the wok with everything else, rather than doing it in a separate pan. And I omitted the lime wedges...because my friend forgot to pick them up. There are other small changes I made in my constant quest to get the perfect Pad Thai that is still low sodium.

Here are all the ingredients before I mix them with sauce:

 

Pad Thai...Another Way
(Serves 3 generously)

Ingredients:
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 small head of greed cabbage, sliced
Pad Thai noodles
Small peeled carrots, cut into matchsticks
6 mini chilies
6 small chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size pieces
3/4 cup fake eggs
3/4 cup tofu, cut into cubes
3 1/2 tablespoons Pad Thai sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons canola oil
Chopped peanuts (for garnish)

Directions:
1. Heat the canola oil in a wok over high heat until hot. Add the minced garlic and saute until brown and fragrant. Add the cut chicken pieces and saute until cooked through. Push the chicken to the side of the wok and add the fake eggs and scramble, once eggs are cooked, mix with the chicken. Add the tofu and noodles and pour the fish sauce and Pad Thai sauce over the mixture. Add the cabbage, chilies, carrots and green onions and using wooden utensils, mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.. Add more Pad Thai sauce if you want. Let all the ingredients cook together for a few minutes. Serve warm with chopped peanuts.

Herb Crusted Salmon

Last week a friend from out of town, John, came for dinner. To go along with the stuffed artichokes and the fennel and cabbage salad, I made a main course of herb crusted salmon. With a hearty roll of whole wheat bread, this was the perfect combination. I am used to having salmon every Friday night growing up and now I crave it on Friday nights. This is one tradition I would like to keep. To keep things simples, I made the salmon in a pan and covered it and let it do its thing for about 15 minutes. When you remove the cover, the salmon continues to cook a little bit longer but it remains really delicious and flaky.

Herb Crusted Salmon
(Serves 3)

Ingredients:
4 filets of salmon
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
6 whole garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For herb crust:
Fennel seeds
Dried oregano
Ground coriandor seeds
Garlic powder
Dried thyme leaves

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Place the zucchini slices around the pan, making room in the center for the salmon fillets. Add the tomatoes around the pan and the garlic cloves. Place the salmon fillets in the center of the pan and generously lather the tops of the fillets with all the herbs so that it is completely covered. Drizzle the lemon juice over the whole lot.

2. Cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium and let the salmon and vegetables cook for about 15 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!