Tag Archives: food

Grilled Sirloin Steak with Corn Salsa

Posted by Dave in meat, texmex and tagged with , , , ,

Grilled Sirloin Steak with Corn Salsa

This is a dish with some great fresh and crisp textures.

Prepare a salsa, e.g., Fire Roasted Sweet Corn and Avocado Salsa.

Marinate the steak for 8+ hours in a marinade of Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, cumin powder, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
Grill steak to medium rare or medium, let stand 5 to 10 minutes, and thinly slice.
Prepare crispy torilla strips by cutting corn tortillas into short strips and pan frying in oil.
Serve sliced steak topped with corn salsa, perhaps a hot sauce (I used Valentina Salsa Picante), and tortilla strips.

Fire Roasted Sweet Corn and Avocado Salsa

Posted by Dave in vegan and tagged with , , ,

Fire Roasted Sweet Corn and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients: grilled fresh sweet corn, finely-diced serrano, jalapeno pepper (both sans seeds), and red onion, chopped cilantro leaves, diced avocado and golden tomato, lime juice, garlic, crushed dried whole oregano, salt.

This was nice in a veggie burrito w/black beans, cheese, and hot sauce. I think this will be particularly good with meats or fish (tacos!) too.

Olive Baked Chicken

Posted by Dave in meat, mediterranean, potatoes and tagged with , , , , ,

Olive Baked Chicken

I prepared the chicken based on a dish I recall from years ago at a local mediterranean restaurant: I chopped kalamata and green olives, mixed them with thyme, tarragon, and garlic… then pushed the mixture under the skin of the pieces of a whole chicken. I drizzled the chicken pieces with olive oil, and spiced with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika and baked it in a greased pan, with pieces separated, for about an hour at 360°F. Nice!

Served with sautéed green swiss chard, and garlic mashed red potatoes.

Sourdough Bread Pizza and Acorn Squash with Swiss Chard

Posted by Dave in meat, vegetarian and tagged with , , , ,

Sourdough Bread Pizza and Acorn Squash with Swiss Chard

Thanks to a visit to my friend’s community garden plot, I got some great veggies! Here I used the fresh oregano and sun gold tomatoes to make a sauce for the pizza topped with fresh basil; green swiss chard is mixed with the squash that had been on my countertop for at least 6 months!

Related: http://nancysgarden.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/sungold-cherry-tomatoes-are-a-must-grow/

Panini with Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Posted by Dave in meat, salad, vegetarian and tagged with , , ,

Panini with Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Salad: european cucumber, sugar plum tomatoes, and chopped red onion tossed with a dressing of apple cider vinegar, celery seed, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Sandwich: sourdough smeared with hummus, dry salami, sliced mushroom, pecorino romano, sliced jalapeno, red onion, sliced garlic… panini pressed or baked open faced at ~350°F until cheese melts and garlic browns then topped with sliced avocado and tzatziki sauce (greek yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic).

Baked Rigatoni with Sautéed Vegetables

Posted by Dave in mediterranean, pasta, vegetarian and tagged with , , ,

Baked Rigatoni with Sautéed Vegetables

This is a simple, colorful vegetarian baked pasta dish that I make often.

Prepare fresh or dried rigatoni as usual. While it’s boiling, sauté coarsely chopped red onion and green pepper in olive oil until they become slightly tender; season with oregano and black pepper then add quartered fresh mushrooms and continue until mushrooms are lightly sautéed. Drain pasta and pour into a baking dish or pan (e.g., 9″x14″ for 4 servings, so that it forms a shallow layer) greased lightly with olive oil. Mix sautéed vegetables and one can drained diced, stewed tomatoes into pasta. (Many other roasted or sauteed vegetables, olives, and toasted pine nuts are nice additions.) Lightly top with grated Pecorino Romano or other aged Italian cheese, sprinkle with oregano, generously with fennel seed, thinly sliced garlic from a couple cloves, and salt and pepper as you like. Bake 15-20 minutes at 425°F – until the garlic slices on top just begin to brown.

Baked Rigatoni with Sautéed Vegetables

Serve with garlic toast. Here I also added a few pieces of fresh mozzarella ciliegine (e.g., Trader Joe’s) per serving after baking, so that it doesn’t melt.

Fish Tacos

Posted by Dave in fish, texmex and tagged with , , , ,

Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos are one of my favorite dishes at restaurants, so lately I’ve been preparing them myself!

Red Cabbage Slaw: Toss finely sliced red cabbage with a citrus onion vinegrette dressing. Prepare dressing, in a blender, by pureeing ingredients: sweet onion pieces, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, brown sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, celery seed. (Alternatively use orange juice rather than lemon and reduce amount of sugar.)

Pico de Gallo: Mix diced tomato, finely diced sweet onion, diced ripe avocado, finely diced jalapeno or serrano pepper (seeds removed), lime juice, mexican oregano, salt.

Fish: Here I used catfish chunks; tilapia, salmon, or shrimp are also good choices. Dip either strips of fillet or slightly larger-than-bite-sized fish pieces in an egg wash and coat with a spiced flour mixture, e.g. spiced with: salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, perhaps a touch of cayenne. (I like to use Morton brand “Nature’s Seasons” which is a salt blend including onion, celery, and parsley as well. This time I also used a touch of a spice blend called Vulcan’s Fire Salt: http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/Vulcans-Fire-Salt Be sure to limit additional salt if you use salt-based blends.)
Alternatively, you can use a cajun blackening spice rub rather than an egg/flour batter.
Pan fry and place on paper towels to draw oil.

Assemble tacos in warmed corn tortillas at the table to your liking.
Here I also added sour cream; you may like cheese instead.