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...

Shrimp Scampi and Zucchini

Valentines deserves a nice romantic meal, and a classic is Shrimp Scampi. It’s one of those meals that is quick and easy to make (20 minutes tops) and is packed with flavor. Since I’m eating carb-lite these days, I switched out my usual angel hair pasta with spiraled zucchini. I’ll post a link to the spiralizer. One quick cooking cheat I have in my life is that if I don’t have a specific recipe, I just google what I want and add the word “Emril”. Emeril Lagasse’s recipes never fail me, even if I just use them as a foundation and add my own spin. So I googled “Shrimp Scampi Emril” and then took it from there. An, easy meal even if your preparing it for yourself, even better if your sharing it with a special...

Air Fried Eggrolls

Egg rolls for dinner tonight (part of my weekly Monday Charcuterie Night Tradition). This was a favorite of my girls. The new twist is air frying them instead of frying them in oil. You can bake them if you don’t have an air fryer, You can also brush them with butter. Ingredients: 4 Tbs Vegetable Oil: For sautéing 2 Garlic cloves: Minced fresh garlic 2 tsp Ginger: Fresh minced 1 cup Celery: Chopped 3 cups Coleslaw Mix 1 lb Ground Chicken: You can leave this out, or use pork or shrimp 4 tbs Fish Sauce: 4 tbs Low Sodium Soy Sauce 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil: Adds richness Garlic Chili Sauce (for dipping) 1 cup Green Onions: Thinly sliced 20-24 Egg Roll Wrappers Olive Oil Spray This makes 20-24 rolls. They are great leftovers! Sauté: Heat oil in a pan and stir...