Spicy Thai Tuna

I don't cook fish. It's not that I dislike fish - I love fish. It's the fear of walking that very thin line between undercooked and overcooked. But recently, I have been testing the waters. And there's no better way to conquer a food I'm afraid of than with the support of my beloved cast iron griddle. I sliced the tuna into 1/4" slices and cooked it for about 2 minutes on each side on a very hot griddle. It came out perfect!

Soon my brain was flipping through my mental rolodex of flavor pairings and preparations. So what pairs well with tuna? The bright flavors of lime and chilies. The sweet crunch of carrots and green onion. And the distinctive flavor of black vinegar. And sesame! Don't forget that! Oh, what about ginger? And that was how this laundry list of ingredients turned into an actually delicious meal.

Ingredients
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 medium ahi tuna steaks, sliced in 1/4" slices
1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
5-7 green onions, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 tsp fresh lime zest
juice of half a lime
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 tbsp. black vinegar
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
rice noodles or angel hair pasta, cooked al dente
1 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp hot chili oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce

Toss sliced tuna with 1 tbsp. sesame oil and soy sauce.

Heat cast iron skillet, griddle or sauté pan over high heat. Sear tuna, about 2 minutes on each side.

In large sauté pan, heat remaining oil, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, lime juice and lime zest over medium heat. Add stock and black vinegar and simmer about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add noodles, carrot, green onion, cilantro and tuna. Toss to coat and serve hot.

It's time to eat!

Veggie "Pasta"

As the weather gets warmer, I crave meals that are lighter. But sometimes a salad just isn't going to do it. Sometimes I want a meal that is filling and savory without putting me in a food coma.

One of my favorite ways to lighten up the menu and still feel like I'm eating comfort food is to substitute shaved veggies for pasta. Right now you're thinking "Yeah, because veggies are really what I want when I'm craving pasta." But really, it works!

Peel asparagus and carrots and then shave them into 'noodles' with a veggie peeler. Sautee them with some garlic and olive oil. Toss in some Italian chicken sausage and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and you'll have a new household favorite. I guarantee it! It's so easy that I'm not even going to list a recipe. It's time to eat!



Mini Carrot Souffles

I have never made any kind of souffle before. In fact, the mere idea of saying "Oh yeah, I'm making a souffle tonight" seems absolutely ridiculous. Who does that?

I guess I'm that person now. And you can be too! It was surprisingly fast and easy. I'm sure that has something to do with the fact that I made mini souffles instead of a normal sized one. But I'm still giving myself a gold star for this one.

Mini Carrot Souffle

1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1" sections
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp bourbon
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsps flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
3 tbsps granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil carrots in salted water until soft (about 10 minutes). Drain and let cool slightly.

In medium sized bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.

Put carrots, butter and bourbon in food processor and blend until smooth. Mix in egg until well combined. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour mixture into 6 four ounce ramekins. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Don't peek or they could fall!

Let cool slightly and enjoy! It's time to eat!



Mama mia! White lasagna!

This recipe makes me so happy. We've done southern Italian with our Parmesan Chicken Tartine, now its time for some northern Italian cuisine.

In northern Italy, lasagna's red sauce gets replaced with a cheesy, white cream sauce known as Mornay. I use this sauce in lasagna with red sauce as well. But today we are going all white veggie baby! No further explanation needed. This meal speaks for itself.

 Veggie Lasagna with White Sauce

Ingredients

6 oven-ready lasagna noodles
3 cups broccoli, chopped
2 cups carrots, diced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, pureed
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup asiago chese, shredded
2 cups milk
4 tbsp flour
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Saute broccoli 8-10 minutes, until al dente.

Remove broccoli from the pan and heat 1 tbsp butter. Saute carrots, covered, for 5-8 minutes or until slightly softened.

Remove carrots from pan and heat 1 tbsp butter. Saute mushroom, onion and 1 clove garlic for 5-8 minutes.

Now we make-a da sauce!

In a large saucepan, heat 4 tbsp butter. Whisk in flour and cook until slightly bubbly. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat, still whisking. As sauce starts to thicken, add 1 cup mozzarella and all of the asiago. Keep whisking!

Add nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salt, basil and remaining garlic. Once sauce reaches desired consistency, remove from heat.

In an 8x8 casserole dish, pour pureed red pepper and top with two lasagna noodles. Then layer in the following order:

Mushroom and onion mixture
1/2 cup mozzarella
Two noodles
Carrot mixture
1 cup cheese sauce
Two noodles
Broccoli
Remaining cheese sauce
Remaining mozzarella

Bake, covered for 20 minutes. Then bake, uncovered for 15 minutes. Enjoy!