New beginnings

Well hello,
It's been over a year since my last post so I guess it is time to get back to my blog...

What have I been doing.... hmmm... I guess getting a new perspective on life for one thing.... I sold my share of my little restaurant so now I can concentrate on the more creative part of food & teaching more classes. I bought a new house that I gutted & remodeled it so I have another great kitchen to teach out of. I am very excited to be back to teaching & sharing my love of food. I hope to see you all in some of my classes.... watch for schedules coming out soon. I have some really fun things planned that are quite different from some of my classes then I have done in the past. So here is to 2014!!!

My new kitchen

Southwestern Veggie Dip

1 lb................. Fat Free Cottage Cheese

2 Tbs............. Roasted Green Chilies

2 Tbs............. Red Wine Vinegar

½ tsp.............. Ground Cumin

½ tsp.............. Oregano

½ tsp.............. Garlic Powder

1 tsp............... Onion Powder

¼ tsp.............. Tabasco

1 tsp............... Kosher salt

pinch.............. White Pepper

1.    Place ingredients in a food processor and puree until creamy.

I am not a cottage cheese person much less fat free but the vinegar gives this dip a cream cheesy flavor.  You can change the flavor profile by using different spices in place of the cumin, oregano, and green chilies.  The vinegar can also be changed.  Try balsamic vinegar in place of the red wine vinegar with fresh basil and oregano.  …Or better yet add a little blue cheese with that.  If you want a good fruit dip try fresh mint, white vinegar, some type of berry and a little sugar, leaving out the chilies cumin, oregano, and garlic.

This dip can be served with veggies, chips or as a dressing by increasing the amount of vinegar.  Cottage cheese is high in protein and has no fat as long as you use the fat free so there is no guilt.  

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!!!

Crab Stuffed Avocado

As I have said before, avocados are very good for you.  They are full of vitamin A and rich in B complex vitamins.  They are very high in protein and though they are high in fat it is the fat that is good for you.  The avocado was first discovered in Mexico over 7,000 years ago and wasn't commercially grown in California until the late 1800’s and in Florida until the turn of the century.  The avocado is technically a fruit but often treated as a vegetable.  Because it is a fruit it should never be place in the fridge. 

The crab in the salad can be replaced with boiled shrimp, lobster or baked/smoked fish.  Chicken could also be used.  If you want to make this more of a meal try placing the avocado on a bed of lettuce and adding some tomato and egg wedges.  The salad could also be used on crackers or on a sandwich with some fresh sliced tomatoes and lettuce.  On the piers in San Francisco you can get yummy little sandwiches with a crab or lobster salad on a sour dough roll, always with real mayonnaise. That is always a stop I have to make while there. 

1 ea............... Avocado

3 oz............... Crab Meat

2 Tbs............. Real Mayonnaise

1 Tbs............. Finely Diced Celery

1 Tbs............. Finely Diced Onion

¼ tsp............. Garlic Powder

¼ tsp............. Onion Powder

pinch............. White Pepper

1.    Combine all ingredients except avocado and mix well.

2.    Split avocado and remove seed and skin.

3.    Divide crab salad between avocado halves and serve.

  

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!

Salad Niḉoise

This is a great summer salad.  Salad Niḉoise (knee-SWAHZ) is a traditional dish from Nice, France.  It is usually served with each ingredient arranged around the tuna on a bed of lettuce but is sometimes cut into smaller pieces and mixed together.  Grilled fresh fish or smoked fish can be used in place of the canned tuna.  Grilled chicken would also work.  If you are in the mood for some greens add some spinach or some baby greens. 

Dressing

½ c................. Olive Oil

¼ c................. Red Wine Vinegar

2 Tbs............. Dijon Mustard

1 ea............... Lemon (juiced)

2 Tbs............. Chopped Fresh Basil

1 ea............... Chopped Garlic Clove

¼ c................. Capers

to taste.......... Salt & Pepper

1.    Mix together well and refrigerate until needed.

Salad

1 12 oz can... Chunk Light Tuna

3 ea............... Baby Red Potatoes

3 ea............... Roma Tomatoes

½ lb................ Green Beans (trimmed)

½ ea.............. Red Onion

3 ea............... Hard Boiled Eggs

½ c................. Kalamata Olives

1.    Boil or steam the potatoes and green beans.

2.    Cool completely.

3.    Drain tuna and place in the middle of a platter.

4.    Cut each potato and tomato into 8 wedges and place around tuna on the platter.

5.    Julienne red onions and place on platter.

6.    Cut each egg into 4 wedges and place on platter.

7.    Place green beans and olives on platter.

8.    Pour dressing over whole salad.

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!!!

Jambalaya

When In New Orleans most People think of Cajun as lots of spicy rich foods.  But, the history of the food is an interesting one.  Jambalaya comes from Paella, which comes from Spain.  Of course there weren’t the exact ingredients to make everything the same so much improvisation came into play.  Because Louisiana is on the Golf coast and at the end of the Mississippi river, seafood is bountiful with large amounts of shrimp, crawfish and other crustaceans along with fresh and salt-water fish.  Chef Folse (one of my favorite chefs of the area) calls the waters/land around New Orleans “the swamp floor pantry”, which I think explains it all.

And like paella, the meats are interchangeable.  What I mean by that is you could replace any of them with seafood or other types of sausage, pork, etc…  One of the common meats used in Jambalaya is tasso, which is a smoked pork or beef of poor quality that is heavily seasoned and spicy.  When it is smoked, it becomes very hard almost like a jerky.  I had a hard time finding it so I substituted a good quality ham.   

1 ea........... Onion (diced)

½ c............ Diced Pepper

4 ea........... Green Onions (diced)

¼ c............ Diced Celery

2 ea........... Garlic Cloves (chopped)

1 ea........... Bay Leaf

½ c............ Olive Oil

2 c............. Tomato Sauce

1 ea........... Chicken Breast

½ c............ Diced Ham

1 ea........... Andouille Sausage

½ lb........... Rice

1.   Make rice according to directions on the package.

2.   Sauté the first 6 ingredients in the oil until caramelized.

3.   Add in the chicken and sausage and sauté until done.

4.   Add in the tomato sauce and ham and simmer for about 15 minutes.

5.   Mix with cooked rice and place in a preheated oven (350°f).

6.   Bake for about 5 minutes.

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!!!

Tuna Melt

Tuna melts are one of my favorite ways to eat tuna salad. I add tarragon to  give the tuna a slightly different but enjoyable flavor of licorice.  As always you can leave it out or replace it with other fresh herbs.  The amounts can also be increased or decreased.  Adding avocado, sprouts and/or lettuce can be used with or replace the tomato.  And of course, there are so many types of cheese that will work with this sandwich if Swiss is not your cup of tea. 

If you can get a hold of some fresh tuna, grilled will work in place of the canned.  Fresh grilled salmon is always a tasty alternative and you can replace the mayonnaise with olive oil for a healthier version.  Although I have heard that eating mayonnaise will reduce the chances of getting cancer.   Of course I don’t remember whom or where I had heard it from so don’t quote me on that one.  I love mayonnaise so I am always looking for an excuse to eat it on something. 

1 can......... Tuna

2 Tbs........ Mayonnaise

1 Tbs........ Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Tbs........ Chopped Red Onion

1 Tbs........ Chopped Celery

1 Tbs........ Chopped Fresh Tarragon

1 pinch...... White Pepper

2 slices..... Sourdough Bread

3 slices..... Swiss Cheese

4 slices..... Tomato

Butter

1.   Drain tuna and add the first seven ingredients, mixing will.

2.   Build sandwich from the bottom piece of bread up with tuna, tomato and then Swiss cheese.

3.   Butter each side and grill until golden and cheese is melted. 

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!

Old Fashioned Deviled Eggs

Summer time is here and it is time for cookouts and picnics.  Deviled eggs are always a popular item on the list of accompaniments.  I am a big fan of the flavor of the mustard with a good garlicky dill pickle so the flavor is strong.  Feel free to cut back on mustard or pickle.  I always use real mayonnaise but using a salad dressing that is sweet will cut the tartness.  Using a spicy mustard will add some zing to the eggs.   I like to garnish them with a sprig of fresh dill but the top of the celery works well to with a little chopped dill. 

If you add a little more mayo and chop egg whites you can use the mixture for an egg salad sandwich.  Place on some good whole wheat bread and add some sprouts and sliced tomatoes.  Yum, one of my favorites!

Eggs are one of those perfect foods.  They are full of protein and other great nutrients.  …But be careful because the yolks also have fat and cholesterol, which are not so healthy.   For hard-boiled eggs place in a saucepan with enough water to cover eggs and boil for about 40 minutes.

8 ea............... Hard Boiled Eggs

¼ c................. Mayonnaise

¼ c................. Yellow Prepared Mustard

¼ c................. Fine Diced Dill Pickle

1/8 c............... Fine Diced Celery

1.    Peel eggs and cut in half.

2.    Remove the yolks from each half and place in a bowl with remaining ingredients.

3.    Mix until smooth and fill each egg white half with the mixture.

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!