dill and sour cream sauce (for fish)

I mixed this up without measuring but it tastes great. Serve on top of baked salmon.

Ingredients

• 1 c light sour cream
• 5 sprigs fresh dill, large stems removed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tblsp sweet onion, finely chopped
• kosher salt
• black pepper

Combine in a food processor and serve.

Note: the onion was a bit much here. Next time I going to try to sweat the onion first.

anchovies for the summer

My parents-in-law described a sauce they had on a cruise that was basically olive oil with anchovies dissolved into it over pasta. My husband loves anchovies so I gave it the make-it-my-own try and it turned out pretty good. The lesson learned is that for about 1/2 c of olive oil you only need about 6 anchovies (not the entire jar, as I used... it would have been nice for my husband to have passed that bit of information along earlier, hehe).

For the sauce:
Heat 1/2 c olive oil on medium heat (don't let it splatter). Add 3 minced garlic cloves and 6 anchovies, diced. Mix and spread until the anchovies basically disintegrate. (This took me 30 minutes but I'm sure that you can do this much quicker if the right amount of anchovies are used.)

To serve:

We tossed the sauce with gnocchi and diced heirloom tomatoes, and then added chopped parsley on top, and steamed spinach on the side. I absolutely recommend the parsley no matter how you serve this sauce! We also had some bread for sopping up the sauce that was fantastic from Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe.

most delicious shrimp ever

Tonight the menu came from Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta (cookbook from Karen that is great!). I made the Spring dish even though we are dead in summer heat right now. This was quite literally the best tasting shrimp we've ever had, and it's not even that hard to make!

The cookbook called for making this by using fresh lavender as a skewer, alternating the marinated shrimp with small squares of red bell pepper and then grilling. I altered it to fit my lack-of-grill environment. I just cooked the shrimp on a cast iron skillet without the skewers and I served it with bell peppers cooked the same way. Below is the recipe for the shrimp -- note the marinating time required!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb small shrimp
• 2 tblsp olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 sprigs fresh oregano leaves, chopped without stem
• 8 large basil leaves, chopped
• 3 sprig fresh thyme leaves, raked off the stem
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

1. Peel and devein the shrimp (sometimes the fish monger will sell them already deveined which is great, but don't forget to peel still).
2. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and toss the shrimp thoroughly in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat with just enough olive oil to cover the surface. When hot, add the shrimp to cook. Let the ingredients from the marinade come in to the skillet with the shrimp -- it adds to the browning of the shrimp. (Note: toss the rest of the marinade because it was sitting with the raw shrimp.) The shrimp is done when both sides are pink and it bounces back when you poke it; small shrimp take only a few minutes on each side.

gnocchi, gnocchi, gnocchi

I tried to make gnocchi from scratch tonight. Why? I'm not sure. I guess I've made other things from scratch that are unnecessarily time consuming, such as a knitting a scarf, baking bread, etc. I guess I'm just not familiar enough with gnocchi to be able to identify the good stuff, which makes this time-consuming task feel a bit... not worth it. Oh well. Worth the experiment at least. Perhaps I will order it at a few great restaurants before attempting it again.

stuffed avocados

This recipe is fabulous! It was inspired by (and mostly is) a recipe from Debbie Dierkes. I think she eats this uncooked, more like a raw salad, but I changed it up a bit because I enjoy onions and garlic cooked.

Ingredients:

• 1 tblsp olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped or minced
• 1 large tomato, mostly seeded, chopped small
• 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 green poblano pepper, finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• 2 ripe avacados, cut in half with pit removed and centers scored
• 4 tblsp shredded cheese (I used low fat cheddar)*
• 4 tblsp parsley, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Let avocados sit out to room temperature if they were in the fridge but do not cut them until you are ready to serve (to prevent browning).
2. Heat olive oil on medium heat and brown garlic.
3. Add onions, pepper, tomato, salt and pepper and stir. Reduce heat and cover; let simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Cut avocados in half and remove pit. Score the centers so that the juice from the stuffing will seep through.
5. Spoon stuffing into center and let fill over the top of each half.
6. Top with shredded cheese and parsley.

*Use non-dairy cheese to make vegan.

chicken marinade

I get so tired of chicken sometimes, but it's so easy! Today we tried a marinade that really made a difference. We used chicken tenders and let this sit for about 3 hrs before baking at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh parsley

Just pour it in a zip-top bag with the chicken and let it sit in the refrigerator.

Inspired by a similar recipe on All Recipes.

pesto and olive salad

This salad was "inspired" by the Nando's butternut squash and couscous salad in DC. I marked this vegan and vegetarian because you can obviously leave out the chicken if desired.

Ingredients for 2:

• 1 large chicken breast (or 2 small)
• spice mix*
• 1 cup cooked plain couscous
• olive oil
• 1 large shallot
• 1 bag frozen cubed butternut squash (I've also used sweet potatoes which was great)
• 1 bag/box of spinach (or mache)
• basil
• 7-8 tblsp pine nuts
• large green olives
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper
• shaved parmesan

*Spice Mix: this is a general mix that I use on chicken that gives this salad a lot of flavor. I don't measure; just mix until it seems right: kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper.

Instructions:

1. Cook couscous according to package instructions.
2. Lightly coat chicken with olive oil, then spread spice mix over both sides. Bakes on foiled cookie sheet on 350 until cooked through (varies greatly depending on thickness of chicken but maybe 20 minutes).
3. While the chicken is cooking, thinly slice the shallot and saute with a bit of olive oil on medium heat. When it becomes translucent, add the squash or sweet potatoes. Dash of salt of pepper, cover with a lid and cook until squash is soft (about 15 minutes).
4. While those are cooking, make a pesto in a blender or food processor. Blend pine nuts, two handfuls of spinach, 1 handful of basil, garlic, some salt and pepper and a generous dose of olive oil. Blend completely. If not runny, blend more and add olive oil.
5. Plate a serving of spinach and drop pesto around the surface. Add slices of chicken breast topped also with pesto. Serve squash and olives on top. Sprinkle remaining pine nuts. Top with shreds of parmesan.

green heirloom tomato sandwiches

I couldn't pass up the gorgeous pile of heirloom tomatoes at My Organic Market this weekend! I got one huge green one and knew I could find something tasty to do with it when I got home. Today I made us sandwiches that according to my husband are "good enough to shop for." We ate these sandwiches with left-over cold cucumber soup.

Ingredients:

Of course most ingredients lists include measurements, but this is a sandwich. I'm sure you can adjust to your taste!

• sandwich bread (we used slices of fresh no-knead bread)
• butter*
• olive oil
• heirloom tomato
• salt and pepper
• mayo*
• dill
• turkey slices*
• lettuce leaves (1 large leaf per sandwich)
• english cucumber
• bartlett pear (these are sweet instead of tart)

Instructions

1. Thinly slice the tomato, lightly brush with olive oil, salt and pepper, and put in the oven at 375 for about 10 minutes (depends on the size and thickness of the tomato). It is done when it basically falls apart when you try to move the slice.
2. Lightly brush the bread slices with butter and toast them. Before the bread is toasted completely, add two slices of turkey to 1/2 of the slices and then complete the toasting so that the turkey warms.
3. Finely chop the dill and mix with mayo.
4. Peel the cucumber and make long thin slices (I like to use a peeler for this). Lightly sprinkle with salt and pat dry with a paper towel to remove moisture.
5. Peel and thinly slice the pear.
6. When bread and turkey slices are ready, spread the dill-mayo over the top of the turkey and on the other slices of bread.
7. Place the lettuce leaf on the non-turkey slice of bread (the turkey on one side and lettuce on the other side helps to protect the bread from getting soggy).
8. Fill the sandwich with the tomatoes, cucumber slices and pear slices.

* I tagged this vegan and vegetarian because it's simple enough to adjust this recipe without changing the taste at all if you are looking for that.

cucumber soup

Delicious on a hot humid summer day. I definitely had to add this to my blog even though it came from another chef because ifood.tv made it so incredibly difficult to get the printed recipe rather than the video of this soup. we had this with a hearty salad.

Ingredients

• 2 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded
• 1 1/3 thick sour cream
• 1 1/3 whole milk yogurt
• 2 cups organic vegetable stock
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/2 cup fresh mint
• 1/2 cup fresh dill
• pepper, to taste (this actually makes a huge difference)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except pepper in a large bowl.
2. Puree the mixture with an Immersion Blender until smooth.
3. Season with pepper.
4. Serve topped with some fresh mint and dill.

Credit: ifood.tv