Grilled Lobster and a SW Corn/Blackbean Salad

Very simple, very tasty meal tonight. Combining a little South West with a little East Coast for a light dinner. Maine lobster with a corn/pepper/tomato salad. A great Mother’s day meal for all of the wonderful women who raised fantastic kids. I miss my mom every day. I had the honor of seeing both my kids Savannah Foley and Pepper Fauxley today. Bonus note, I used my cilantro and parsley from the garden and there was still a healthy amount left, which is great this early in the season. The result was fantastic. Another home run. Ingredients 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained well 1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed according to package instructions 1 cup chopped tomato (Roma, cocktail, grape, etc.) 1 cup seeded and chopped orange bell pepper...

Zucchini Lasagna

While I’ve made Lasagna my whole life, this is my first foray into Zucchini Lasagna. It was a snowy day, so I decided to have fun and photograph the steps. I got the recipe from a close friend at: https://downshiftology.com/recipes/zucchini-lasagna/ I followed the instructions to the letter. So I won’t repeat them here. For the “Pasta Sauce”, I made my own. Saute a diced sweet onion in olive oil, one big can of crushed tomatoes, one can of fire roasted diced. Oregano, basil, pepper to taste. Toss in a bay leaf and simmer for an hour. Or buy a jar of sauce. It was great. Fewer carbs, great flavor. This is how I’m going to make Zag from now on. Pairs well with a rum and...

Beef Tostatas

While I feel very good in my Taco game, I also like making tostada to mix things up [editor note, mixing it up with exactly the same ingredients, but not folding the tortilla may not qualify as mixing ANYTHING up]. My usual secret ingredient is Amy’s re-fried black beans. It really brings it home, but no such luck finding it around here. Still, my crispy, almost bakery level shell (olive oil/garlic powder brushed flour tortilla cooked at 450°) makes this meal a delight. I do this with Irish Butter too, the result is the same. It was raining, so no grill work, just grass fed ground beef in a skillet with onions, bell pepper and seasonings, chili powder is good. Mexican cheese goes on the shell, then the meat. A salsa of chopped tomatoes, onion and cilantro...

Five Thing Salmon and Arabian Salad

This is a little twist on my famed Five Thing Salmon. Instead of putting it on top of a bed of angel hair/basil/garlic/feta pasta, I did something a little different Saturday night. In place of pasta, the salmon is on something called Arabian Spinach, a recipe a close friend shared with me. So, Five Thing Salmon: Stir together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, dill weed and soy sauce in a glass baking dish. Put in a salmon fillet, rotate to coat. Bake in a 350° oven around 10-15 minutes and finish with a quick broil. The goal is to still have a pink center. If you have skin, you can cook it skin side up if you want a crispy skin, or skin side down. Arabian salad: In a large skillet saute a thin sliced onion in olive oil. Add some minced or crushed garlic and...

Grilled Swordfish with Parsley Pesto

Tonight, a grilled swordfish with a parsley pesto served with steamed cauliflower. A close friend shared this recipe with me, it’s from the NYTs. I planned to cook just one swordfish steak, thus I halved the recipe so I would have enough for me tonight, and a lot of pesto for the future. Half of that is in the freezer, the other half for a killer omelette and sandwich spread this week. Below is the full (not halved) recipe. INGREDIENTS 1 ½ large bunches flat-leaf parsley ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon Grated rind from 2 lemons 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 cup diced red onion 2 tablespoons capers 3 cup chopped cornichons (kosher baby dills) 8 anchovy fillets, dried on paper towels 6 swordfish steaks, 1-inch-thick Olive oil for grilling...