Strawberry Almond Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Does anybody not like strawberries?  I know some people actually have allergies to strawberries, but do they actually not like them or is it only because they can’t eat them without risking respiratory constriction?  I am thinking not!  I guess I would probably have to lump people who don’t like strawberries in with those people who don’t like chocolate…a very small minority if my own friendship base is any indication.  Strawberries are happening NOW!   I can’t help but be happy.  We brought some home from the market the other night and stood at the kitchen sink eating them out of hand after we had rinsed them off without even letting let them dry before we ate the whole pint basket.  We had another pint and I wanted to fit them into my “salads of summer” thing going on right now and put them into a simple salad.  The balsamic vinaigrette is the perfect balance for this salad.  I used some packaged toffee coated almonds found in the vegetable section of the store and could not have been happier.  Follow the link for the inspiration for the salad.

Strawberry Almond Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Printable Recipe

4 servings

Vinaigrette

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic finely minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2/3 cup olive oil

Salad

• 4 or more cups mixed greens
• 8 strawberries hulled and sliced (or more to taste)
• ¼ cup sliced almonds (plain or candied)

Directions

1. In a blender blend together the balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic and salt and pepper until frothy, about 1 minute.  While the blender is still running add the olive oil in a slow steady stream through the feed tube until well combined and emulsified.
2. Place the greens in a large bowl and dress with ¼ cup of the dressing so that the greens are lightly dressed.  Add more dressing to taste and refrigerate the rest of the dressing for up to a week.
3. Divide salad greens amongst four salad plates and top with strawberries and almonds.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Fettuccine with Chicken and Tomatoes

It has been a while since I have had a craving for pasta.   Well, that isn’t entirely true; I crave it all the time, but only allow myself to have it infrequently.  It is one of those foods that I love, but I am trying to not let my lame over fifty metabolism get the better of me.  Of course you can use the whole wheat or low carb pastas as healthier choices and have pasta more often, but I am of the thought that if I am going to have something that may not be the best choice for my waistline I would rather just portion control than skimp on taste.  I like whole wheat pasta, but I don’t love it, and while Dreamfields makes a pretty great product, nothing really beats the taste of freshly made pasta when you are craving pasta.

This dish was envisioned from what I had on hand which happened to be fresh tomatoes, basil and some grocery store rotisserie chicken.  Okay, so sometimes things aren’t perfect the first time out of the creative gate.  This dish was good, but I frankly didn’t really need the chicken.   The tomatoes and basil were really the stars, so I will make this dish again with either half the chicken or none at all.  Also, TH didn’t really care for the tomato skins that I left on the grape tomatoes.  Our thought was to use Roma tomatoes that have been peeled, seeded and chopped.  His feeling was also that he would want the fresh tomatoes cooked down into more of a sauce which makes me think that in a pinch some good quality canned chopped tomatoes would work.  Food for thought as they say.

Fettuccine with Chicken and Tomatoes Printable Recipe

4 servings

• ¼ cup julienne cut sundried tomatoes packed in oil
• 1 tablespoon of the oil the tomatoes were packed in
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 clove garlic minced
• ¼ cup shredded basil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound fresh fettuccini
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the sundried tomatoes in their oil until warm, about 2 minutes. 
2. Add chicken and grape tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are wilted, about 4 minutes.
3. Add wine and garlic and continue to cook until the wine has reduced to about half, about 3 minutes.  Add basil and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well reserving some of the pasta water. 
5. Toss pasta with chicken and tomatoes, adding pasta water to loosen if needed.  Serve with parmesan cheese

  

Orange and Avocado Salad

I have been on a real avocado kick lately.  I know I have said before that I could eat an avocado every day and this is just another example of avocado love.  The orange and cucumber work really well with the avocado.  The salad is light and refreshing and perfect for a warm summer day (which we are not having in case you were wondering), and easy on the calories.

Orange and Avocado Salad (adapted from Taste) Printable Recipe

4 servings

Dressing

• ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• Salt and pepper

Salad

• 1 medium orange peeled and supremed or segmented (see note)
• 1 small cucumber peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 medium avocado peeled and diced
• Salad greens

Directions

1. Dressing: Place orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, white wine vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper in a blender and blend to combine.
2. Salad: In a small bowl place orange slices, cucumber, and avocado and dressing, mix to combine.  Place salad greens on 4 salad plates, top with orange and avocado mixture.

Note:

To segment or supreme an orange (or other citrus) start by peeling the fruit, being sure to remove all of the white stuff.  Hold the fruit in one hand and with the other wielding a very sharp knife over a bowl to catch the juice, cut into the fruit as close to the separating membrane as you can on one side of the fruit segment then do the same on the other.  The fruit segment should fall out at this point.  Continue to cut near the membrane until the whole fruit is segmented.  Squeeze the remaining membrane ball to get out any of the remaining juice.

Steak with Sherry Mushroom Sauce

Sometimes you just have to have a good steak.  No getting around the fact that there is something magical that happens when you mix a good dose of fire with a good cut of beef.  From the first time ancient man discovered fire and how it changed the foods it came in contact with to the weekend warrior flipping steaks on the Q we have loved our steak.  You can’t really improve on the simple beauty of a well-cooked steak and I wasn’t trying to when I came up with this Mushroom Sherry sauce.  I was just playing with my food if you must know.  It was a tasty addition I must say.

Steak with Mushroom Sherry Sauce Printable Recipe

4 Servings

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 clove garlic minced
• ¼ cup dry sherry
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon country style Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 steaks about 6 to 8 ounces each
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat melt 4 tablespoons butter.  Add mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms have released all of their water and have started to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add shallots and sauté until shallots soften, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.  Add sherry and cook until the sherry is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
2. Season with salt and pepper and add 2 tablespoons butter, mustard and Worcestershire sauce; stir to combine.
3. Season steaks with salt and pepper and let rest out of the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, grill to medium rare then top with Mushroom Sherry Sauce.

Thai Beef and Potato Curry

If you have ever read my little blog before you will know I love curry, all types of curry.  I am always looking for new ones to try out and sometimes I will do a recipe search for curries based on what I happen to have on hand.  That is how I came across this recipe for a beef and potato curry.  I changed it up some based on what I had on hand, and had to eliminate some ingredients because I didn't have them or couldn't get them, but this curry turned out to be just what I was in the mood for.  Follow the link if you want to see the original recipe.

Thai Beef and Potato Curry (adapted from Montreal Food Blog) Printable Recipe

6 servings

Spice Mix

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 10 black peppercorns
• 2 dried red chilies
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh lemongrass
• 1 1/2 tablespoons grated galangal or ginger
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 6 Thai chilies finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt

Curry

• 2 pounds tri tip steak or top sirloin cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter) or peanut oil, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped shallots
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 1 19- ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 2 russet potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• ½ cup chopped skinned Spanish peanuts

Directions:

1. For the Spice Mix:  In a small dry skillet fry the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, dried red chilies and ground cloves until toasted, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat to cool then grind to a powder in a spice grinder.
2. Combine with garlic, ½ cup minced shallots, Thai and salt.  Set aside.
3. For the Curry:  Heat 3 tablespoons of the ghee or peanut oil over medium high heat.  Add the beef (in two batches) and cook until brown all over. Set aside.
4. Wipe out the Dutch oven and add the additional 2 tablespoons of the ghee or the oil, sauté the curry paste with additional shallots and garlic until the shallots have softened, about 4 minutes.
5. Add the beef back to pan and sauté uncovered for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often.
6. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, tamarind paste, brown sugar, bay leaves and curry paste. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring often.
7. Add potatoes and simmer on low, covered for 25 more minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Add peanuts. Serve over rice.

Grilled Steak Salad

I am going to share a big secret with you today.  It is a secret that you may already know and like me have been holding on to, but I’m feeling in a sharing mood so here goes: Chuck Eye Steak!  Not to be confused with chuck steak which is only suited to braising or long cooking, the chuck eye steak is cut just next to where the rib eye steaks are cut from and there are only two to a cow.  They are hard to come by because they are the cut that usually goes home with the butcher, so if you see them out in the meat section grab them.  They taste very similar to the rib eye, but are just a hair less tender, but you would probably only notice the difference if you had the two steaks sitting side by side, and they are not quite as pretty a cut, but sometimes the packaging is not the most important part.  The best part; I just bought two chuck eye steaks for $5.79 a pound versus the rib eye sitting right next door at $9.99 to $10.99 a pound.  Yep, you read it right.  I treat them just like a rib eye and grill them on the barbecue to medium rare.  You don’t want to cook them longer because they will get tough on you, but medium rare they taste like what you want from a great steak, but at a fraction of the cost.  I was in the mood for more salad so I grilled mine up and tossed them on top of some mixed greens and dressed them with more of my Cilantro Vinaigrette.  Give it a try, and please, don’t tell anyone.

Grilled Steak and Avocado Salad Printable Recipe

2 servings

• 1 8-ounce chuck eye steak
• Salt and pepper
• 1 avocado peeled in sliced
• Salad greens
• Cilantro Vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Take the steak out of the fridge one hour prior to cooking, season with salt and pepper about fifteen minutes prior to grilling.
2. Prepare grill to medium high.   Slap the meat on the grill and let it cook about 4 to 5 minutes per side depending on thickness.  Remove to a plate and cover with foil.  Let rest for 5 minutes; slice.
3. Place greens on two plates, top with sliced avocado and sliced beef, dress with cilantro vinaigrette and eat with gusto.

Tacos al Pastor

I had never heard of Tacos al Pastor until just this last year.  We had a small Mexican restaurant move into town and they have them on the menu.  They also have cabeza (head) and lengua (tongue) tacos, but I haven’t gone there, and just don’t think I will.  Anyway, Tacos al Pastor are made with pork in a chili and pineapple marinade and served on corn tortillas with Pico de Gallo and a squeeze of lime.  I go to this restaurant for lunch a couple times a week and that is always what I order.  I thought if I’m liking them that much I should figure out how to make them for myself.  I adapted this recipe from one I found on Epicurious and it ended up tasting pretty close.

Tacos al Pastor (adapted from Epicurious) Printable Recipe

6 servings

• ½ large red onion coarsely chopped
• 1 pineapple peeled, cored and sliced into ½ inch slices, divided
• ½ cup pineapple juice
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup guajillo chili powder (see notes)
• 3 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 to 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
• 1 3-pound pork butt cut into ½ inch slices
• Corn tortillas
• Pico de Gallo
• Lime wedges

Directions:

1. Place chopped onion and two slices of pineapple that you have coarsely chopped into a blender.  Add pineapple juice, white vinegar, guajillo chili powder, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin and chipotle and blend until smooth.
2. Place pork slices into a re-sealable bag and cover with all but ¼ cup of marinade.  Seal bag and toss to coat pork slices well.  Chill at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
3. Pre-heat barbecue grill to medium high heat.   Make sure that your grill grates are well oiled.
4. Rub remaining pineapple slices with a little vegetable oil and grill until they are cooked through and well charred, about 5 minutes per side.
5. Remove pork from bag and let excess marinade drain off.  Place pork on grill and grill until cooked through and have nice grill marks (did you remember to oil your barbecue grates, if you didn’t you would be having a bit of trouble turning the pork about now), about 4 minutes per side.
6. Remove pineapple and pork to a cutting board and chop into ½ in cubes.  Toss pork and pineapple together in a bowl with ¼ cup of reserved marinade that you have reheated.
7. Heat corn tortillas by your preferred method.  I like to heat them up in a dry cast iron skillet.  You want two tortillas per taco.
8. Place two tortillas on a plate, one on top of the other.  Top with pork and pineapple mixture, Pico de Gallo and a squeeze of lime.

 

Notes:

If you can’t find guajillo chili powder you can buy whole dried chilies in the Hispanic foods section of your market and grind your own by cutting off the stem end, removing the seeds and then tearing the chilies into small pieces and grinding them up in your spice grinder (or food mill).  I used six dried chilies to get the ¼ cup you need for this recipe.

Chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce are found in the same section of your market.  I used two chilies for my marinade because we like spicy, but use your own judgment, but remember they can be quite hot.   You may also be wondering what to do with the rest of the can of chipotle chilies.  I portion out two chilies per re-sealable bag and place them in the freezer for use at a later date.   

I only used half of the grilled pineapple with the pork.  When I get it at the restaurant, it has the taste of pineapple, but does not have pineapple chunks in it so having that much pineapple is not too my liking, but you may think differently.  I also had the thought of using the leftover grilled pineapple on some ice cream...good idea, I'm thinking.