 A friend requested a post of pretty avocado toast… SO, here it is! Keeping it simple with a splash of fresh lemon juice, fresh cracked himalayan pink salt and some cayenne pepper. I mash these ingredients together and spread it on some crunchy toasted Ezekiel Bread. To make the toast “pretty”, I top it with some nice slices of avocado, lemon zest and minced pickled radishes. It tastes delicious...but does it look pretty?? Whad'ya think?! 
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Ceviche is so simple and so fresh. Though it is great any time of year (if you ask me), its just perfect on a hot summer day with light/crisp white wine. For those of you not familiar with this delicacy, ceviche is simply citrus cured fish. I usually use fresh lime juice with a splash of fresh lemon juice, but that’s just my preference. I’m sure you can play around with different citrus. Let me know how it turns out! Ok, so back to this recipe. I really don’t know which “style” ceviche this is considered, so lets just call it the light and tasty one. I typically use white fishes (fluke, flounder, sea bass, porgy and scallops even work well) which again, is just my preference. Here are the ingredients, adjust to suit your palette, but remember, you do need enough citrus to “cook” the fish. INGREDIENTS:
fresh fish fillet fresh squeezed lime juice fresh squeezed lemon juice minced red onion halved grape tomatoes (and/or minced yellow, orange bell pepper) thin sliced scallion (or cilantro or parsley) This time I used fluke, probably around 1/4lb fillet for a light lunch. I juiced one lime and used just enough to cover the fish, covered the bowl with seran wrap and put it in the fridge to cook/marinate. The fish is done when it is white (if using a white fish) all the way through. I recommend marinating the fish for at least 8 hours or as long as 24 hours. I combined all of the ingredients about 20 minutes before it was time to serve. Mix and match the veggies and herbs, but keep it simple so the fish remains the star of the show! Inspiration can be found anywhere or from anyone, you never know! I recently made a trip to my favorite hair salon to get myself a new ‘do. My hair stylist, Christine, and I will often chat while she is working her magic. We have touched on many topics, but will almost always spend some time chatting about travel and food… two of our favorite things. This time I mentioned I saw one of her posts featuring a delicious looking fresh tuna salad... which I found out she made for her family that weekend. It looked amazing. Her and I both feel the same way about the Mediterranean diet and how we belong there…you know in the Mediterranean climate with all of the fresh fish and produce ;-) Anyways, Christine’s photo and our chat completely inspired me to create my own version of this dish. Luckily, Seatuck Fish Company at the Union Square Farmers Market often has tuna. I bought about 1/4lb, maybe a little more. ...I really just picked a smaller piece that looked pretty. I also picked up some fennel, yellow & red grape tomatoes and a red onion. Typically I will simply season/sear my tuna: fresh cracked salt and pepper on both sides right before cooking and just a minute or two of cook time on all sides leaving it very rare in the center. For this dish however, it is better the tuna is cooked to a medium rare…light pink in the center.  Here is a rough recipe to get you started!
INGREDIENTS: fresh tuna steak fennel red onion grape tomatoes Kalamata olives olive oil splash of balsamic vinegar fresh squeezed lemon juice optional (but recommended) garnish: chopped fennel frond; lemon zest Cook the tuna to a medium rare, set aside to cool and drizzle with a little olive oil. Prep your veggies: thinly slice some fennel and red onion; halve some yellow and red grape tomatoes, halve some kalamata olives (or green olives). Flake the cooled tuna, mix with the veggies and top with a generous amount of olive oil, splash of balsamic and some fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors. Season with fresh cracked salt and pepper. Enjoy! Even on a rainy day...can't keep me away! Some photos from a recent trip to the market. Hope they inspire you to get to your local market too ;-) My mom would make bean salad often in the spring and summer. This salad is definitely a picnic staple for me. The only “problem” was we never had access to fresh wax beans (aka white string beans). We always prepared this salad with canned green beans, canned wax beans, canned red kidney beans and fresh sliced vidalia onion. This version is delicious… However, I’ve now started making bean salad during that wonderful time of year when green string beans AND white string beans are both available at farmers’ markets! Using fresh beans requires just two additional steps: snapping the ends of the beans and blanching the beans. Otherwise I prepare the salad as I normally would.  MOM’S BEAN SALAD:
1 can cut green beans 1 can cut wax beans 1 can red kidney beans ½ vidalia onion, thinly sliced FRESH BEAN SALAD: ½ lb each white and green string beans 1 can red kidney beans ½ vidalia or red onion, thinly sliced DRESSING: equal amounts (roughly ½ cup) white vinegar mild oil (canola, grapeseed, veggie) organic sugar (NOTE: I have since modified the dressing using a little less than ¼ cup sugar and about ¼ cup oil. Both versions of this salad have been enjoyed by all.) HARD BOILED EGGS & SEARED ASPARAGUS Just wanted to pass along one of my latest lean and clean snack ideas! It’s very light and satisfying: 1-2 hard boiled eggs with 2-3 spears of seared asparagus.  EGGS: I swear by the boil and turn off the heat method for hard boiled eggs. Basically place the eggs (gently) in a pot. Fill the pot with enough water to just cover the eggs. Turn the heat to high. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the burner and let the covered pot sit for 10 full minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Run the eggs under cold water to help ease the peeling. Season with fresh cracked pepper.
ASPARAGUS: Trim the bottoms of the asparagus. Toss them with olive, some granulated garlic and sear on a medium-high heat. Give them a quick cook leaving the spears crisp and slightly browned. This dish speaks for itself!  For the Fish Preheat your oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the flounder fillets "skin side" down. Sprinkle with a little panko, grated pecorino, some lemon zest and just a dash of fresh cracked pink himalayan salt & pepper. Top it off with a drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 10-15 mins. I took it out at 12 mins...so keep an eye on it! For the Salad I chose to combine frisée and radicchio. They both hold up well and have a bright and refreshing flavor. Toss your chopped lettuces with a little olive oil, lemon juice salt & pepper. Let "marinate" while the fish cooks. You can obviously play around with the dressing, but do keep it on the lighter side. Once the fish is cooked, plate immediately and top with the salad. Enjoy!  Strawberry Rhubarb Pie 2 cups sliced strawberries 2 cups chopped rhubarb (1/2" thick slices) a little under 1/3 c flour 1/4 c sugar (if you like sweet pies, add up to 1 cup) 1 tbsp butter, to dot throughout the filling 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp water (for glaze) I used Oronoque Orchards Organic Deep Dish frozen pie shells...and I'm not ashamed about this! :-) Bake at 425° for 15 mins. Reduce heat to 375° and continue to bake for 30-45 mins, or until the pie is golden and the juices are bubbling. Let cool completely on a wire rack…let the juices gel. |
...getting -Jessica
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