Salads: Not just lettuce and tomatoes anymore!

The idea of living in a home without air conditioning is a completely alien concept to those of us from South Florida. When I first got to Washington, I thought “wow, these people are savages!” But, as it turns out, all summers are not Miami summers. That being said, I’ve definitely been trying to use my oven and stove for the least amount of time possible. Salads have become a mainstay in my dinner menus since they require little to no stove time. Here’s a new one I’ve been working on the past few weeks. It looks fancy, tastes delicious, and you can pretty much use any grain to veggie combination you like.

Couscous Salad:

1 cup cooked couscous, cold
1 cucumber, diced
1 2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, minced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 small can sliced black olives
1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir.

You can do this with any grain you like. I like to use farro, barley, and quinoa as well. You can also add feta cheese to add some richness.

Enjoy!

What to do with that leftover sauce…

In my previous post, I showed you how to make my all purpose pomodoro sauce. Since more often than not, you will have leftovers, here is an easy and relatively healthy chicken parmesan recipe that I made with it last night. Bon appetit!

Oven Chicken Parmesan:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 cup plain breadcrumbs (you can also use panko)
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. garlic salt
Salt and pepper to taste.

4 slices provolone cheese
1-1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Oil a large baking sheet with cooking spray or olive oil.

While the oven warms up, bread your chicken breasts.

Season the flour with one teaspoon each of the Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and parsley. Stir to combine. Repeat with the breadcrumbs.

Dredge the chicken in the flour, followed by the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Shake very gently to remove any excess breadcrumbs and place on the baking sheet.

You can spray them lightly with cooking spray to keep the crust from drying out too much. This is optional.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Adjust your timing depending on the thickness of the breasts you are using.

Once the chicken breasts are cooked, remove them from the oven and top each with heaping tablespoon (or more if you like) of the sauce. Place the slice of cheese on top. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

This can also be prepared vegetarian, by using thick slices of eggplant instead of the chicken.

 

 

 

Fun with a spiralizer and an all-purpose tomato sauce

 

So my aunt recently gifted me a spiralizer. This thing is awesome. It slices your vegetables into a noodle shape, making for a wonderful guilt-free version of “pasta” out of zucchini, carrots, squash, and potatoes. You can also use it on cucumbers and other fruit and vegetables for a mighty fancy looking salad.

I recently made a zucchini “pasta” with my version of a pomodoro sauce that both husband and I agreed that we did not miss the real thing. For my vegan/vegeterian friends, the recipe can be easily adapted and you won’t miss out on flavor. Well, I might. I like bacon. And cheese. The sauce yields enough that you can freeze the leftovers or repurpose the next day. Here’s part 1 of how I made two meals out of sauce, zucchini, and some frozen chicken breasts.

Pomodoro Sauce:

1 large carrot
5 cloves garlic
1 large stalk celery
1 medium onion
1 tsp chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
1 28oz can diced tomatoes (I prefer San Marzano)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 strips bacon
1 1-inch piece parmesan cheese rind
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan for serving

Using a food processor, finely mince the carrot, onion and celery. Then mince the garlic separately. I like to do each one separately as the carrots require a lot more processing.

Render the 2 strips of bacon in a medium, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Once the bacon is rendered, remove the strips from the pot and set aside. You can have them as a snack while you’re cooking.

Add the garlic to the hot, rendered bacon fat and saute for about 1 minute. Add the onion, celery, carrot,  and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine, reduce the heat to medium and allow to cook until the vegetables soften.

Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, cheese rind, red pepper flakes and 1 tsp of the fresh basil. Stir. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Simmer for 45min to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add a drizzle of olive oil before serving.

To make this a vegan recipe, just omit the cheese rind and bacon. Use olive oil instead of the bacon fat.

I had some fresh tomatoes on hand as well, so I chopped them and added to the sauce for texture.

Some Whole Foods will sell you a package of Parmesan cheese rinds. They are an amazing addition to soups and sauces. I just keep the rinds of the wedges of Parmesan in a Ziploc as I finish each wedge, so I always have them on hand. 

If you find that the sauce is too acidic, you can stir in a tiny bit of sugar to tone it down. 

Zucchini Pasta:

4 large zucchini, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Spiralize the peeled zucchini

Heat the olive oil in a large pan.

Add the zucchini and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

See my next post for what I did with the leftovers!

 

 

 

 

 

In case you were wondering where I’d go: Miami

So, as you know, Miami is home for me. Even though I’m way far away, I can’t quit the Miami food news and Instagram feeds. There are also a few places I can’t wait to go back to the next time I’m in town. So here, for your enjoyment, are a few of my favorites.

Casablanca Seafood. What I wouldn’t give right now for a whole fried hog snapper with a side of tostones. Sit outside and watch people trying to dock their boats about 10 feet from your table. They also have delicious mojitos and a pretty decent wine list! You can also try their next door neighbor, Garcia’s, a true Miami institution. If you’re willing to venture into the wilds of Westchester or just happen to be there, check out El Floridita. It’s a teeny, tiny strip mall gem with some of the best fish croquetas ever. I defy you to find a better lunch special too!

I absolutely love Spanish food. If I won the lottery, I’d pack up and move to Spain without blinking an eye. Luckily, Miami has a wonderful Spanish ex-pat community with restaurants that meet their demanding palates. Go to Xixon for chanquetes and bunuelos de bacalao. They also have a HUGE Spanish wine selection and deli. Delicias de Espana has a market with Spanish products ranging from this week’s Hola magazine to turron to baby clothes to espadrilles. They have everything and then some, including a deli, bakery, and frozen food section. You can also sit and explore their changing daily menu, tapas and sandwich selection. If you want something with a little more South Beach je ne sais quois, make your way to Barceloneta, the Pubbelly Group’s Spanish flagship.

For French cuisine, I recommend Downtown Bistro, hands down. Now, full disclosure, the owners are dear friends of mine. That being said, their personal extraordinary good taste in food translates to the food at their French fusion bistro. The food and atmosphere is delightfully unpretentious. You can get classics like steak tartare and moules frites as well as the best risotto croquettes anywhere. I also like Brasserie Central in the Village of Merrick Park. They make a mean blanquette de veau and have a nice raw bar too.

I have to admit, I am getting really spoiled with the Asian options out here in Seattle. I’ve tried some of the best Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese food I’ve had, well, ever. That being said, I long for some Tropical Chinese dim sum and bluefin o-toro at Matsuri.

I have yet to go to an Indian restaurant that I love more than Bombay Darbar. That’s all I have to say about that.

Stay tuned for more of my favorites, go-tos,  and new places I can’t wait to try. Happy eating!

 

Postcard image from Zazzle.com.

Postcard image from Ebay.com.

 

Exploring Seattle

Back home, I prided myself on being the first to try new places and immediately share my seal of approval, or lack thereof, with anyone who would listen. Having been present for Miami’s food evolution from a bunch of chain restaurants, Cuban joints and the only nice restaurants being Christy’s or the Forge to the rise of the Mango Gang to the vibrant community of younger chefs and entrepreneurs like the team at Gastropod Miami and the Pubbelly Group that are bringing Miami’s food scene to the national stage.

Now, I’m taking on a new city as a total newcomer, a tourist even. Here’s where I’d take you so far…

Cafe Juanita, don’t let the name fool you. I’ve only had a few true fine dining experiences while up here, but this is probably the best. A tiny spot, in what looks like a private home, tucked away in a quiet neighborhood in Kirkland. Great for special occasions or a fancy date night. Don’t believe me? Check out Eater.com’s accolades here.

Jarrbar is a tapas bar hidden underneath the Pike Place Market. On a quiet backstreet, Jarrbar operates out of an old storage space serving cured seafood, meats and signature cocktails. They also feature a nice selection of Spanish wines.

Lionhead was my first foray into Sichuan-style food. One of the things I’ve really come to appreciate about being here is learning about and tasting the wide array of Asian food and all its different regional nuances. I personally tend to shy away from anything labeled “hot” or “spicy” because I find it tends to overpower the taste of the food. On my visit here, I threw that to the wind and let our super-helpful server choose some items for my dinner companions and me. It was totally worth it. Check out their menu linked to above!

Things I never thought I would miss: Grilling

 

To be honest, I actually never owned a grill while living in Miami. But, I had an all access pass to the one at my parent’s house, which I really didn’t use all that much either.

Fast forward to the present here in the PNW and now all I want is a grill. Not even a fancy one, just one of those little gas powered camping ones would be amazing! Never mind that my building probably doesn’t allow them and that our 3×3 balcony probably isn’t safe to have one, but whatever.

Well, common sense and good citizenship have prevailed and I have learned to use my broiler. And I have to say it really is a lifesaver when you can’t grill on anything and even a grill pan won’t do.

For the steak pictured above, I took a 2lb flank steak and marinated it in chimichurri for about four hours. I preheated the broiler and left it alone for about 10 minutes before putting the meat in on the top rack of the oven. I checked the meat in about 5 minute intervals, taking it out somewhere between 15-20 minutes for a nice, pink medium doneness. You could probably take it out somewhere closer to 15 for medium rare.

I served it with some wild rice and extra chimichurri on the side. I use this recipe by Michelle Bernstein as a starting point for the chimichurri. It’s also great with chicken and pork as a marinade or condiment.

Enjoy!