December 21, 2011

Chicken Piccata

Chicken, lemon, butter and olive oil. Come on, you know you want it. Who knew it was so easy? Well, I guess a lot of people, but I just figured it out.

December 12, 2011

No sweat stir fry

Hard to tie down to any set of ingredients, you can make this with lots of different toss-ins. Generally, I like crispy veggies (in the picture are baby bok choy, celery, broccoli). Some onions, garlic, optionally meat if you want. It’s a great thing to throw together with leftover veggies or meat in smaller quantities than you’d use for a dish of them. Ingredients (as pictured, but make it up!):

November 11, 2011

Pepper Encrusted Seared Ahi

A fairly easy entree, and one of the most delicious ways to enjoy ahi. Measurements are for one 8-12 ounce, 1″ thick steak. Adjust as necessary for a thicker or thinner cut. Ingredients: 1 fresh ahi steak, sushi-grade 2 Tbsp coursly ground black pepper 2 tsp course salt Directions: Heat a heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal) over medium high heat. Searing the ahi in a skillet on the stove may generate a bit of smoke, if that might be an issue, see my alternate searing method below.

November 6, 2011

Instant marinara sauce

OK, not quite instant, but if you want some marinara sauce for a quick meal, and you don’t have time to peel and cut tomatoes, cut up veggies, and reduce the sauce all day or buy overpriced pre-made marinara sauce, this one’s for you! You can get really good processed tomato ingredients in a can these days, just read the labels, and don’t get anything with added sugar (especially corn-based sweeteners), and if you can find it, without added salt.

October 19, 2011

Atomic Pickles

I love pickles. I’m not much of a sweets person (aside from good chocolate), sour and salty and spicy are my thing. I’ve been enjoying store-bought pickles, and will continue to do so. But, there are only a couple types I’m really fond of. Zesty pickles with garlic, peppercorn, and some hot peppers added are my absolute favorite, followed by kosher dills. I usually add garlic, peppercorn, and hot pepper to a new jar of dills, and let them sit for a week to absorb the new flavors.

September 25, 2011

Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice I Ingredients 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1/2 small small onion, diced 2/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 3 ounces canned diced tomatoes 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups water Directions In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and saute until translucent. Pour the rice into the pan and stir to coat grains with oil.

September 14, 2011

Cast Iron Steak

I’ve made a version of this with Rib Eyes and with a NY Steaks, both about 1-1/2 inch thick USDA Prime cuts, so a nicely marbled cut of meat. One method I’ve used needs way more kitchen ventilation than I have available, but this is a good all-around version that works well, without creating a smoke cloud, and still results in a great steak. Ingredients: 1-2 Rib Eye or New York steaks 1 tsp course salt 2 tsp fresh ground pepper Optional butter glaze: 3 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 cloves finely chopped or crushed garlic 2 tsp finely chopped parsley Directions:

September 11, 2011

Ceviche

The national dish of both Peru and Ecuador, Ceviche can be made with a wide variety of ingredients, depending on your preference. If using fish, it works well with a fish with firm meat, Salmon, Tuna, Yellowtail, Sea Bass. Also excellent are scallops and shrimp. Since the fish will be lightly cooked, I always use sushi-grade fish that’d I’d be comfortable eating raw. I also lightly pre-cook shrimp, to make sure it’s cooked through.

September 11, 2011

Artichoke and Olive dip

Yet another simple and really tasty treat. Really good on the Savory Almond Crackers. Prep time: < 5 minutes Yield: appetizers for 8-12, but the leftovers keep well for a day Ingredients: 2 Cans artichoke hearts (15 oz, usually) 1 Can de-pitted Green olives (or a cup, if you have an Olive Bar at your local supermarket) 1 tbsp capers (rinsed) 1-2 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon parsley for garnish 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes pinch of salt Directions:

September 11, 2011

Kaydub's Special

Inspired by the Joe’s Special from all of the local Original Joe’s resturants, this is a simple combination of veggies and ground meat. The fixtures are onions, spinach, and meat, and then, mix up the rest to your own tastes! Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Yield: 6-8 servings Ingredients: 2 pounds ground meat (I used ground beef, but feel free to mix it up) 1 large bunch of spinach 2 red onions 2 jalapenos 2 serranos 1 habanero (optional) 2-4 cloves of garlic 1 tsp salt 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp spicy paprika 1 tsp cayanne pepper or hot pepper flakes 2 tsp Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Parmasean Directions: