seared tuna w/ olive tapenade vinaigrette & arugula

I think the title of this post takes longer to say than the actual meal takes to prepare. As work continues to kick into full gear now that summer has past and the early sunsets make for less ambitious evenings, I'm really growing to appreciate meals that take more time to eat than to make. Tonight was another one of those. I found a recipe that sounded tasty, but complicated (they made the tapenade from scratch), but like most meals on this site, I simplified without sacrificing taste. Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 cup chopped mixed olive tapenade
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 6-ounce ahi tuna steaks (each about 3/4 to 1 inch thick)
• 2 handfulls baby arugula
• Salt and pepper (maybe - see below)

So I began by purchasing a pre-made olive tapenade. My local market had several varieties: black, green, kalamata, mixed, etc. I went with the mixed, which also had roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, garlic and salt mixed in. I didn't object to any of those things, so I rolled with it. 

Mix the tapenade together with the onion, basil, oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste (and if necessary - I didn't add salt since there was already some in the tapenade). Set aside.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Rub oil, salt and pepper on each side of your tuna steak and toss on the skillet. I like my tuna steaks medium-rare, so I only cooked about 2-3 minutes per side. Let the steak cool for just a minute before slicing. 

Add the tuna slices over a bed of arugula and top with the olive tapenade. Voila - seriously delicious meal in under 10 minutes.

Bon chappétit!

spinach salad w/ fish & balsamic honey dressing

So I know a lot of my recipes have an emphasis on red meat and carbs (I can't help it!) However, every once in awhile I like to kick back with some fish and leafy greens. The recipe below is for an awesome little salad that only uses one pan - great taste AND easy clean-up. It doesn't get better than that. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 lb. white fish fillets (I used tilapia)
• 4 cups of baby spinach leaves
• 1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
• 3 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 medium red or yellow sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoons of honey

Rinse the fish and pat dry with a paper towel. Then cut the fish into 4 serving-sized pieces and set aside. Place the spinach in a large bowl and set aside. In a large skillet, cook the onion in 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, or until tender and slightly golden. Add the sweet pepper, cook and stir 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir the onion mixture into spinach; transfer to a serving platter and set aside.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the fish fillets with 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. In same large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook for 4 minutes. Carefully turn fish. Reduce the heat to medium; cook 3 minutes more or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Place the fish fillets on top of wilted spinach and cover to keep warm.

In a small bowl, stir together the balsamic vinegar and honey. Add to the same large skillet. Cook and stir until heated through, scraping up any browned bits. To serve, spoon the balsamic vinaigrette over the fish and spinach. Makes 2-4 salads, depending on the appetites at hand.

Bon chappétit!

california chicken panini

Like many people, I tend to be a creature of habit. My habit as of late has been being entirely too busy to cook elaborate dinners (not that they're ever really elaborate, but roll with it) and constantly going to the local market for sandwiches for dinner. Granted, they make amazing sandwiches. However, it's recently gotten to the point that they actually know my order when I walk up to the counter. Not good.

What does one do in this situation? You'd think I'd realize how lame I've been and get back to cooking. Not quite. I avoid the sandwich counter out of shame, but I still crave the sandwiches! Here's my attempt to recreate my favorite sandwich of late - the california chicken panini (panini = sandwich. Look it up). Here's what you'll need:

• 1 chicken breast
• 2 whole wheat pita
• 1 tomato
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup grated swiss cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of salt, sugar and pepper

Begin by heating the 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add the garlic and simmer until it begin to brown. Add your chicken and lightly salt/pepper. Cook chicken until juices run clear, flipping only once or twice - about 5-6 minutes per side. Slice into 1/2" strips.

Lay out your pita, and cover 1/2 with chicken slices. Top each with 1/2 cup of the swiss and heat under a broiler in the oven for just a few minutes to melt the cheese.

While that goes, mix the remaining 1/4 cup of oil, 1/8 cup of balsamic, salt, sugar and pepper to make a nice little balsamic vinaigrette. (Why isn't that spelled "vinegarette?" English...)

Now you're ready to build the sandwich/panini. Layer tomato and avocado on top of the chicken and drizzle a little vinaigrette over top. Cut the pita in half, and place the empty half on top to finish your sandwich/panini.

Of course if you have a panini press, I'm sure you could use that. I've no experience with those, so I can' say for sure, though I'd think it would work by virtue of the name alone. If you try it out with one and have suggestions, feel free to leave it in the comments.

Bon chappétit!

steak w/pomegranate glaze

I'm back! Truth be told, I never left. I've still been cooking, but I haven't been trying anything new or adventurous the past few weeks - just sticking to old standbys that have already been posted. Tonight though - lo! - I was back on the foodie horse, trying out some new ingredients that haven't been featured on the blog before. As usual, it was delicious (otherwise I wouldn't post it here). Here's what you'll need:

• 1 top sirloin steak
• Peppercorn mélange, coarsely ground
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, divided
• 2 cups arugula
• Salt

Begin sprinkling each side of the steak with the chopped rosemary, salt and pepper. Give each side a pat to really make them stick. Heat 1/2 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet. Add the steak and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, flipping only once for medium to medium-well doneness. When finished, place the steak on a cutting board and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

While that's going, toss the arugula with the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Set aside.

Once the steak is done, add the pomegranate juice, remaining teaspoon of balsamic and brown sugar to the skillet to deglaze. Lightly boil for about 5 minutes or so. You want this to reduce down to a thick glaze.

Slice the steak, pile on to the arugula salad and drizzle the pomegranate glaze on top. A delicioso meal in under 20 minutes.

Bon chappétit!

peach ricotta spring rolls

Sorry for the prolonged absence. Way too much to do, way too little cooking going on as of late. In some odd twist of fate, I take a week off from blogging and make my return with ... something incredibly similar to last dish I posted! That's right, I'm back with another peachy dessert. I can't take any credit for this one though - it's lifted directly from Gabi over at BrokeAss Gourmet. Make sure you check out the site, it has tons of great looking food. As for the spring rolls, here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 peaches, cored and diced
• 3 tbsp ricotta cheese
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 8 large spring roll wrappers
• Oil for frying (you should probably use vegetable; Dan and I used olive, because it's what we had on hand)

Begin by warming up the balsamic vinegar over medium heat in non-stick pan. Stir often while you're preparing everything else, until it reduces to a nice, syrupy consistency. Remove and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the peaches, ricotta and sugar along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then assemble the rolls by placing a healthy spoonful of the mixture in the middle of a spring roll wrapper. Tuck in the sides and roll it closed.

Place about 2 inches of oil in a deep, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Gently place the rolls in the oil. You'll want to place them seam side down and hold them there for about a minute each until they start to harden in order to ensure that they don't just unroll (it happens really easily). Fry each for just a couple minutes until they turn crispy, golden brown. Drain on paper towels and let cool for about 5-10 minutes. Serve with the balsamic reduction drizzled on top.

Bon chappétit!

red salad w/ tomatoes, carrots & red onions

So here's a great side salad that Dan and I made a few weeks back. There's actually no lettuce in it - crazy for a salad! It's pretty great though, really complemented the rigatoni w/ pancetta that we paired it with. Here's what you'll need:

• 3 heirloom tomatoes or 16 grape/cherry tomatoes (we used cherry in the pic below)
• 4 carrots
• 1 small sweet red onion
• Balsamic vinegar
• 1T olive oil
• Salt/pepper
• Torn basil leaves

Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters (depending on the size) and set aside. Cut the carrots into thin rounds and place into a bowl. Thinly slice the red onion and add it to the carrots. Season with salt/pepper. Mix in the olive oil and balsamic to taste (I think we did equal parts). Add tomatoes and basil and stir. Serve.

We actually made ours in advance. In that case, we held of on the salt and vinegar until just before serving. It's a super easy salad that's a nice change from the norm. Definitely give it a try.

Bon chappétit!

roasted pork w/ herbs, potatoes & balsamic-marinaded asparagus

So every Sunday my best friend, Dan, and I try to get together to try a new dish and catchup on the past week. It's becoming quite the tradition between the two of us. This past weekend, we tried out a new recipe that we both loved. Super quick and easy, and only utilizing a few key ingredients.

Roasted Pork

• 1 lb pork tenderloin
• A few cloves of garlic (you can never have too much in our opinion)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• Salt & pepper
• Potatoes (8 or so)
• Olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Asparagus
• Parmesan

Begin by cutting 6 or so slits along the top of the pork. In each slit, insert some garlic, rosemary and sage. Then lather the whole thing in olive oil and top with salt and pepper. Toss it on a roasting pan.

While you're doing that, parboil a few potatoes (I just learned this: "parboil" means to pre-cook something by boiling it first, I guess to give it a head start). Pat them dry, then place around the pork on the roasting pan.

Toss it in the oven (center rack) for 20 minutes on 450 degrees, then 40 minutes on 350 degrees. Turn the potatoes a few times.

While that's cooking, we just doused a bunch of asparagus in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. When there were just a few minutes left on the pork and potatoes, we laid the asparagus in a flat row on a cookie sheet, pouring the marinade over top, and sprinkling with some fresh parmesan. We then popped them in the oven at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes (they're done once they turn bright green).

By the time they're done, the pork has cooled and can be cut. Bon appetit!

Honestly, this dish was pretty amazing. The flavors all worked fantastically well together, and Dan and I both went back for seconds (I may have had thirds). Definitely a good one to try if you're looking for something easy and different.

Bon chappétit!