Sear-Roasted Halibut with Blood Orange Salsa

Aaand, we're back to the working week. Did you all have a good Easter and/or long weekend? Mine was nice and relaxing with tons of food and the arrival of my "nephew". Our southern themed Easter brunch was fantastic with amazing food and I may have indulged in one too many mint juleps (thanks JenFinn!). The one disappointment of the weekend was that my farmers market was closed yesterday. So annoying. No notice at all!! Anyway, I made this quick recipe for dinner last week so luckily I had something to share with you. Since I got two halibut steaks at the farmers (back when it was open), and I had some blood oranges laying around, this was super easy. I made the salsa the night before so the flavors had plenty of time to come together. It was so delicious and rich without being heavy. Once again, the quick cook of the halibut left me with a fish that was nicely cooked and buttery with a nice sear. I loved the tart and sweet blood orange salsa, which as you can see from the picture, I used liberally on my fish. It was a great combination. If you think you don't like fish, I really encourage you to try halibut because it is one of the least fishy fishes and has a nice flavor and texture. Dishes like these are an excellent and easy preparation that you can make any day of the week.


Sear-Roasted Halibut with Blood Orange Salsa
(Adapted from Fine Cooking)

For the salsa:
3 small blood oranges, cut into segments, with half of the segments juiced
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the halibut
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 skinless halibut fillets
Olive oil

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F.

Make the salsa:
In a small saucepan, boil the orange juice over medium heat until reduced to 1 tablespoon, let cook

In a medium bowl, combine the reduced orange juice, remaining orange segments, onion, and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook the halibut:
In a small bowl, mix the thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt and a pinch of pepper. Rub the mixture all over the halibut. Heat some oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering hot, arrange the fillet in the pan. Sear for about 2 minutes without moving; then use a thin slotted metal spatula to lift a piece of fish and check the color. When the fillets are nicely browned, flip them and put the pan in the oven.

Roast until the halibut is just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the halibut to a serving plate. Spoon some of the salsa over the halibut.

Smoked Salmon and Poached Egg Salad

Yesterday I had a lovely day off. I did some things around the house and then I met up with JenFinn for lunch. I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but my lunch consisted of a brownie with espresso ice cream and a blackberry mojito. I know, super healthy, but there was a reason for that...more on that later. After a while, I was pretty hungry, but wanted something on the lighter side. Luckily, I had this recipe on my plan for the week. This was only my second time poaching an egg. I still need to practice those skills, but I think it came out alright. This is such a quick and refreshing recipe. The salty smoky salmon was perfect with the lemon dressing and peppery arugula. The egg on top made it feel like more of a meal and it was exactly what I needed to get through the night and await the arrival of my friend's first baby! He arrived very early this morning and I am so excited to go meet him. Have a fantastic Saturday and if you celebrate it, Happy Easter!

Smoked Salmon and Poached Egg Salad
(Adapted from Junglefrog Cooking)

Makes 1 serving

1-2 handfuls arugula
Smoked salmon, torn into pieces
1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, poached

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Toss the arugula with the dressing.

Arrange the salad on a plate. Top with a few pieces of salmon and top the salad with the egg. Lightly season the egg with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Asian Pork Tenderloin

But Esi, didn't you just recently do an Asian pork recipe? Why yes, yes I did, but when you find a good recipe and you have all the ingredients, it somehow pushes it's way right to the top of your "to-make" recipes list. So a couple of days ago, I set out to make this. To make my life easier, I prepped the marinade in the morning. It only takes a few minutes. I somehow forgot the ginger even though I had some in my freezer. It was not a huge difference, but I definitely noticed it missing in the end product. No matter, it was still excellent without. The flavors really balance each other out. There is saltiness from the soy, a nice hint of spice from the chili sauce, and a mellow sweetness from the sugar. The rice was the perfect accompaniment for all the drippings even though I had planned on doing some sesame noodles. Since most of the prep time comes from marinating the pork, you can easily throw this dish together when you are done with your working day. I kind of wasn't paying attention to my clock and overcooked the pork by about five minutes. It was still good, just a little tough. Note to self, don't turn away from the clock!!


Asian Pork Tenderloin
(Adapted from For the Love of Cooking)

1/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspooon hot chili sauce (I used chili-garlic sauced)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced
7 ounces pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
Canola oil
Rice or noodles for serving (optional)

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, garlic, and most of the green onions in a large zip lock bag, then add the pork. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat some oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade. Add pork to pan, cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Place pan in oven, and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 155-160 degrees (medium) or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Cut pork into 1/4 inch thick slices and drizzle with sauce and the remaining green onions.

Serve over rice or noodles

Springtime Carbonara

Here we have yet another recipe with one of my favorite springtime ingredients...asparagus! It also has another great spring ingredient peas, but since my small farmers market seems to be lacking in fresh peas, I had to go with frozen. I hope to get to the bigger market soon so I can have a lovely afternoon sitting outside shelling peas. You think I'm joking? Last week and this week I am cooking with things in my fridge, freezer, and pantry in preparation for a cleansing week next week so I had to use some bacon I had in my freezer. I still have more bacon in the freezer, but I am hoping the fact that I actually have to wait for it to thaw out won't be too much of a temptation. I had never made a carbonara before this, but it was quite easy and I hope to do it again. I had wanted to use whole wheat spaghetti, but I only had a little bit left and not enough for the recipe, so I used the rest of some leftover linguine. I must say, the whole kitchen cleaning thing is going quite well and leaving lots of room for my cleansing stuff. Watch me last all of a day doing it. Anyway, this is a wonderful and flavorful pasta dish. The salty Parmesan and bacon where perfect with the sweet peas and the sauce was nice and creamy.

It's Thursday, but really my Friday. Do the rest of you have a short week? Do you have plans for Easter? My friends and I are doing a New Orleans/Southern themed brunch and I am super deluxe excited. I am sure I will be sharing recipes very soon!


Springtime Carbonara
(Adapted from the New York Times)

Makes 2-3 servings

2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
8 ounces linguine
2 ounces asparagus, sliced 1-inch thick (1/2 cup)
5 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
1 egg, whisked, at room temperature
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish (2 ounces)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon, cooking for about 5 minutes, until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel and set aside. Drain most of the fat from the pan. Return the pan with the rendered fat to the stove top for future use.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, heat the bacon fat in the sauté pan over medium heat. Add the peas and asparagus, and sauté for about 2-5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the basil, and set aside.

Whisk together the eggs and milk. Have the egg mixture, vegetables and bacon ready to toss with very hot pasta.

Quickly drain the pasta and transfer immediately to a large serving bowl. Pour the eggs and cheese on top of the pasta, and toss vigorously to coat the strands and gently cook the eggs, forming a creamy sauce. Add the vegetables and bacon, and continue tossing to incorporate them. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Portion the spaghetti on plates and ladle any sauce left in the bowl over each serving. Grate additional cheese on top if you like.

Halibut with Pico de Gallo

One of the things that is not so cool about going away...even for a couple of days is missing the farmers market. It's not just because I don't get to flirt with salad boy, but also because I miss out on picking my own stuff to showcase over the week. However, I have some nice friends who in my absence will pick out the things I ask so that I can continue to bring you guys fresh recipes over the week. Unfortunately, I had put this recipe in my meal plan, but the tomatoes I was seeking were not to be found so I went with some on the vine tomatoes from the regular grocery store which were not as vibrant as I would have liked. However, this is a stellar dish. I absolutely adore halibut. One of my most favorite meals ever was at Mix at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay in Vegas and it was a lovely buttery halibut in a sauce that literally just melted in my mouth. This meal was almost four years ago and I still think about it often. I picked up some halibut a couple weeks ago at the farmers market and it was just a matter of a quick thaw to make this simple and delicious recipe. The quick cook of the halibut made it have that buttery texture that I was craving and the fresh pico de gallo was the perfect accompaniment with a glass of cold white wine. Bonus points for this recipe not using a lot of fat despite being insanely delicious.



Halibut with Pico de Gallo
(Adapted from Serious Eats)

Makes 1 serving

1 halibut fillet, seasoned with salt and pepper
1-2 small tomatoes, chopped
1/4 medium onion, diced
1 small jalepeno, seeds removed and chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
Juice from 1/2 lime
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tortilla chips for serving (optional)

Chop the tomatoes and onions and add to a bowl along with the cilantro and jalapeno, finely chopped. Add a pinch of salt, black pepper and the juice of one lime. Adjust for seasoning and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes, preferably longer for the flavors to marinate.

Heat a nonstick skillets over medium-high heat with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil. When the oil is almost smoking, lay the fillet in the oil to coat, then turn over to cook opposite side.

Cook, without touching, for one to two minutes per side, depending on thickness. Remove from the heat and plate, topping with the pico de gallo. Squeeze a little lime juice, crack fresh pepper, and serve.

Grilled Cheese with Bacon and a Fried Egg

So have you guys heard the news? My friend Kathy of Panini Happy is having a blog event devoted to grilled cheese month! I had actually planned on making something similar to this prior to learning that April is grilled cheese month, but once I heard about Kathy's event, it really lit a fire under me. I had planned on doing this with a different type of cheese, but the thoughtless a-holes at my new TJs ran out of that kind of cheese a few days ago, so I decided to go with a low fat smoked Gouda. Honestly, I have no good reason for going low fat with the cheese. I mean, just look at the rest of the ingredients in this sandwich. In order to use up the rest of the compound butter from my steak "frites", I decided to cook my sandwich in the leftover butter. This ended up being quite a good combination since the flavor of thyme was in not only in the butter, but in the tomatoes. I was worried about the flavors of the sandwich not being right together, but the smokiness of the bacon and the cheese worked nicely with the sweet tomatoes and the mellow spinach and egg and as I mentioned previously, cooking the sandwich in the herb butter worked perfectly well with the other flavors. Despite the rich ingredients, this sandwich did not make me feel weighed down and heavy. So this is my entry to Kathy's event for grilled cheese month. There are so many thousands of ways to jazz up a grilled cheese. How will you do yours?








Grilled Cheese with Bacon and a Fried Egg
(Liberally adapted from Thomas Keller via Food & Wine)

3 slices bacon, cooked and drained
Shredded smoked Gouda cheese
2 slices whole wheat bread
3-4 slow roasted tomato halves
Baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon parsley and thyme compound butter
1 large egg, lightly fried and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

Top each half of bread with shredded cheese. Top one half with the bacon, tomato, spinach, and egg and then finish with the other half of bread.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and add the sandwich. Fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side.

Chicken Satay Skewers

I'm making my way back from San Francisco. Hope you all had a nice weekend. The race went well and our team met and exceeded our goal of raising $10,000 for MMRF so thanks to all who supported our effort!! I didn't want to leave you guys starving so here's a little tasty something I cooked up last week. This is fabulously simple and perfect for any night of the week. Chicken satay is one of my favorite things to order when I get Thai food, but I have not tried making it myself. This isn't the most authentic recipe, but it's really good and perfect for when you want something quick and light for a weeknight. I let the chicken marinate for about 15 minutes which only enhanced the flavor and since I still haven't dusted off my outdoor grill, I did these inside on my grill pan. I personally didn't like the peanut sauce with just peanut butter and vinegar, so I added agave nectar until I got something I was happy with. It's all about adding and re-tasting for that one. This was perfect for me as a light dinner since I had a heavy lunch that day, but it would be just as great as an appetizer to your own takeout inspired menu.

Chicken Satay Skewers
(From Everyday Food as found on bloom.acious)

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
Agave nectar to taste

Toss chicken with sesame oil, soy sauce, cilantro, garlic, and red pepper flakes in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and thread each chunk onto skewers.

Heat grill to medium-high heat and spray with oil if needed, cook chicken for about 2-3 minutes per side.

For sauce blend peanut butter and vinegar, add agave nectar and water if necessary for desired flavor and consistency.

Brownie Pudding

I have had some pretty insane chocolate cravings lately and rather than deny myself, I thought I would make a mini version of Ina's brownie pudding that I have been lusting after lately. Besides, I am about to put myself through a brief period of denial (more on that later), so I may as well splash out when I can, right? This dessert comes together quickly so it's just a matter of throwing it in the oven. I probably should have baked this for about 20-30 minutes less than I did (I blame the FN site, tells you an hour in one part in and 30 minutes in another). Instead of a pudding, I ended up with more of a brownie cake, but that's not to say it wasn't good. Unlike my DB challenge from a couple of months ago, this was a delicious rich chocolate dessert that went excellently with the smooth honey ice cream that I paired it with. Instead of baking this in a large pan, I used two 4.5 ounce ramekins to have a little individual dessert. As I said, I overbaked these so they came out of the ramekins quite easily, but they were still delicious. I definitely want to try making this again to get the pudding consistency that was intended, but if you are looking for an easy chocolate fix, look no further.

It's Friday, go out an enjoy the weekend. I am heading up to SF tomorrow morning and may not have time to visit/comment on your blogs, but I will be with you in spirit and back on Monday. If you want to contribute to my race (which is this Sunday), it's not to late...click this link. Have a fantastical weekend!

Brownie Pudding
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

Makes 2 servings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 egg at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Ice cream for serving (optional, but recommended)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter or spray two 4.5-ounce ramekins. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for 20-30 minutes. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with ice cream.

Bacon and Tomato Tart

Lately I have been making more of an effort to clean out my refrigerator and freezer. Summer is approaching quicker than I can shake my fist and I want to make room for some of its goodies. Remember those slow roasted tomatoes I made at the end of last summer? Well I still have a few of them lurking around in my freezer. I also had some puff pastry that I needed to use up. In my haste to make a recipe a while ago, I picked up a brand of puff pastry that didn't use all butter so I am trying to use it up before I switch to my brand that uses just butter. Fyi, in case you didn't know, there are some fancy brands that use just butter, but TJs makes a great puff pastry that is all butter as well and it is inexpensive. Anywho, back to the tart. I made it last night for an easy dinner, but can just as easily be made for a nice party or an appetizer for a dinner party. Even with forgetting to thaw my puff pastry earlier in the morning, I had this on the table relatively quick, just in time to watch Top Model...I mean, Damages. Oh, who am I kidding? I am so behind on Damages that I haven't even seen this current season yet and it just ended. No one tell me what happens. I will catch up, soon enough. I had to make some changes to the original recipe to use what I had on hand, but it was easy and really good. If you don't have slow roasted tomatoes laying around in your freezer, use fresh tomatoes..or even sun dried tomatoes would be good. If you like roasted red peppers, I am sure they would be great as well. I switched out the blue cheese for mozzarella I had left from pizza experiments and chives for parsley because I was too busy flirting with salad boy to remember to pick up fresh chives this past weekend at the FM. As always, I encourage you to play around with the flavors in this recipe. Maybe use some cheddar or Gruyere in place of the mozzarella or maybe another fresh herb instead of the parsley. That is what cooking is all about, isn't it?

Bacon and Tomato Tart
(Adapted from Salt and Chocolate)

Makes 2 6-inch tarts

2 puff pastry rounds, rolled out to about 6 inches in diameter
6 slow roasted tomato halves
2-4 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
3 strips of bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place each puff pastry round on the parchment. Top each pastry with the tomatoes, leaving about a 1/4-inch boarder around. Top the tomatoes with a bit of cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry and cheese are golden brown.

Top immediately with the bacon and parsley and serve warm.

Lemony Asparagus Soup

Lately I have been completely seduced with all the spring asparagus. Like strawberries, asparagus are another one of those things that are pretty much year round here in SoCal, but taste better in the spring. I found this soup and immediately added it to the meal plan. It's super healthy and light, but very tasty! It is very easy to make this recipe vegan by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock. I actually would have done that myself, but I already had some open chicken stock. This soup is good hot or cold, but I preferred it hot. I may have used a bit more lemon juice than noted in the recipe below. On Friday nights, I'm not really in a measuring mood. I just want something good and fast and this recipe is both of those things!

Lemony Asparagus Soup
(Adapted from Food & Wine, April 2007)

10 ounces (1 small bunch) asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces with a few 3-inch tips reserved
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
One 1-inch wide strip of lemon zest, plus 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Boil all of the asparagus until bright green and barely tender, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water to cool, then drain again. Set most of the tips aside from the rest of the cut up pieces.

Wipe out the saucepan. Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the sliced onion to the saucepan and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock and lemon zest strip, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the asparagus pieces and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the lemon zest strip.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and reheat if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the asparagus tips and grated lemon zest. Serve hot or chilled.