Mediterranean tilapia

I adapted this from my friend Sally’s favorite tilapia recipe:

4 tilapia filets
1 tomato, chopped
6 leaves basil
3.5 ounce package feta cheese crumbles
Lemon juice

Roll basil leaves and slice into thin ribbons (chiffonade). Combine with feta and tomatoes.

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper tilapia filets and cook about 4 minutes per side or till fish flakes with a fork. Add a splash of lemon juice halfway through.

Put fish on serving plates and top with feta/tomato/basil mixture.

Fudgy brownies

This is another recipe I got from Laura that she adapted from elsewhere. Maybe I should give her a whole category in this blog, as many great recipes that she has shared! These brownies are incredibly good, fudgy and rich. I have had trouble finding good brownie recipes and readily admit that I often make use of Duncan Hines, but this one is definitely a keeper - maybe my days of boxed brownies are finally over!

1 1/8 cups cocoa powder
18 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 1/3 cups flour

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat; combine with cocoa powder.

In mixing bowl: beat eggs, vanilla, salt and sugar & corn syrup together until light and fluffy (this will take a few minutes).

Preheat oven to 375F and grease 9×13 pan.

Stir flour into chocolate mixture. Fold chocolate batter into the egg mixture, stirring to combine. You can add nuts if you like at this point; I don’t like them so I omit. You could also add chocolate chips or marshmallows, or other additions.

Spread batter in pan. For an extra glossy top brush with 1TB milk. Bake for 35 minutes. The top should be crisp but a toothpick inserted will come out coated with chocolate. Remove & let cool for several hours before cutting into squares.

Quinoa and black bean salad

My friend Laura adapted this from something on epicurious. I had never eaten quinoa before, so I was skeptical, but it was very tasty. This makes a ton and I had it for lunch for an entire week.

1 1/2 cups Quinoa
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 can corn, or kernels cut from 2 ears
1 red pepper, chopped
1-3 fresh jalepenos, depending on your heat taste
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 diced avocado
crumbled feta cheese

For dressing
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
1/3 cup olive oil

Wash quinoa in at least 5 changes cold water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off most of water, until water runs clear and drain in a large fine sieve.

In a saucepan of salted boiling water cook quinoa 10 minutes. Drain quinoa in sieve and rinse under cold water. Set sieve over a saucepan of boiling water (quinoa should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, about
10 minutes (check water level in kettle occasionally, adding water if necessary).

While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and cool. Add beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeños, cilantro & feta.

Make dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking.

Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste.

Mediterranean pasta

I had this recently in a hotel and it looked like the easiest thing in the world to make at home.

I haven’t made it yet to work out the exact amounts, but I will come back and update when I do. It had penne pasta tossed with olive oil, artichokes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and roasted red peppers. You could also add shrimp or chicken.

Ham and Gruyere Frittata

This is a great breakfast-for-dinner type meal.  It makes just enough for two to three people.   You can double it and use a larger pan for more of a crowd.

Ham and Gruyere Frittata

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 chopped onion
2 red potatoes, diced
5 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped smoked ham

Melt butter in a small iron skillet or other ovenproof pan over medium heat. Add onion and potatoes and cook 10 minutes or until soft. Whisk eggs, milk, cheese, and salt/pepper and pour over the onion and potatoes in the skillet. When the egg starts to cook, pull the frittata away from the sides so the uncooked egg can fill the space. When the eggs are about halfway cooked, add the ham. Put the skillet in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until the egg is done and the top is puffy.

Sweet potato/banana quick side

This isn’t rocket science, but tasty and easy.  Cut up one sweet potato into chunks and boil for 10 minutes or so till fork-tender (you could also roast it, but that takes longer).  Drain water and mash potato chunks along with one banana.  Add about 1/2 tablespoon butter, a spoonful of brown sugar and a little cinnamon.

We ate this with jerk-seasoned shrimp and black beans and rice - all very Caribbean. 

Greek burgers

I found this in Self magazine but changed it around somewhat.

3 whole-wheat pitas
1/4 cup milk
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
4 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3/4 lb lean ground lamb
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/3 cup crumbled feta

Dressing
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/2 cup peeled, seeded and finely diced cucumber

Chop one pita, transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with milk. Let soak 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess milk. Puree soaked bread, onion, garlic, herbs and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Transfer puree to a bowl. Add lamb, season with salt and pepper and combine. Form into 4 patties. Microwave patties until warm, about 30 seconds. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook burgers to medium, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Whisk yogurt, mint, garlic, mustard and honey in a bowl. Stir in cucumber and season with salt and pepper. Halve the two remaining pitas, open each half, and spread some of the dressing inside. Add burger and tomato to pita and sprinkle with feta.  Serve leftover dressing on the side.

Wine party

We’re thinking about having a wine tasting party, so I am noting some ideas here for future reference. I found these in various places around the net and from friends’ advice, so I just wanted to compile them.

• The “big 8″ varietals are: cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, merlot, shiraz/syrah, chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio/pinot gris.
• Recommended for a tasting with 4-5 wines: riesling or pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, chianti or valpolicella ripasso, cabernet sauvignon or shiraz or zinfandel, pinot noir.
• Recommended for a wine/cheese party of 16 people: 6 pounds cheese and 8 bottles wine.
• If serving cheese, it’s recommended to have some from each of these 4 categories (note I don’t like blue cheeses so I’ll probably omit those)

1. Aged (Cheddar, Comte, goat gouda
2. Soft (Camembert, brie)
3. Firm (Manchego, parmigiano
4. Blue (gorgonzola, stilton)

• Nice to have different breads/crackers with cheese such as baguette, breadsticks, and different crackers. Also different condiments go well with cheese, such as fancy mustards, preserves or honey, and chutney.
• Recommended wine/cheese pairings: Gewurztraminer and Swiss, Riesling and gouda, Chardonnay and brie.

Some thoughts on appetizers: goat cheese tartlets, sausage with hot mustard, sausage potato puffs, roasted red pepper dip, cheese puffs with crab dip, feta-artichoke dip, pan-fried polenta with pesto, stuffed mushrooms.

Ecofriendly meat

OK, I’m no bleeding heart, but I do try to be somewhat conscious of supporting ethical practices in meat-raising; being an animal lover and parent of three dogs, I feel it’s only right that if I am going to eat meat that I at least be humane about it. Not to mention, this kind of meat is healthier anyway.

We recently ordered some meat from La Cense Beef. This company deals in grass-fed beef that is raised on ranches, not in feedlots. They had a special at the time where they would give you 8 free hamburgers; you just had to pay for shipping. So I ordered some and we really did like them. Some people say that grass-fed beef tastes weird or is really dry, but I didn’t experience that. It’s really intriguing how much lower in fat and calories grass-fed beef is as compared to grain-fed beef. I will probably order some more and some different cuts of meat. It’s kind of expensive, but as with anything else, you get a better price with a larger order.

Something that I want to try, but have not yet, is grass-fed bison. I have a friend who is a vegetarian, but once a year or so, they order some meat from North Star Bison as a special treat. From what I understand, grass-fed buffalo is pretty much the ultimate in ecofriendly and humanely raised meat. This company has other types of meat too, like chicken and turkey and also more exotic things like elk and ostrich. It’s very interesting.

So that’s what I’ve been mulling over lately. I believe that God created these animals for food for us, but I have to think, isn’t His will closer to their being naturally raised and then eaten, rather than crowded into feedlots, eating grain that is not their intended diet? Like I said, I’m no bleeding heart and certainly not a PETA activist, but this just makes sense.

ETA: I found another ranch here that has grass-fed beef and this one is near Dallas.

And a couple more here and here

Lemon pound cake

I tried this yesterday and it turned out great. It’s definitely worth using a fresh lemon for the zest and juice instead of the bottled stuff. This came from Cooking Light but I tweaked it somewhat. You can put a glaze on it of lemon juice/powdered sugar but I didn’t bother. The lemon flavor was pretty intense anyway, but the glaze would have been nice too; I was just too lazy.

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk

Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.

Place 2 cups granulated sugar and 3/4 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add rind, 1/4 cup juice, and vanilla; beat until combined. Beating at low speed, add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined (batter will be thick).

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Place a plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate to cool completely.