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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Coconut Macadamia Crusted Halibut

Yum!  I made this dinner last night with moderate expectations, and my husband and I were very pleased with the outcome!  Adam requests is as a new weekly regular!  Very simple, very quick, very light and fresh, and VERY tasty!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Halibut filets (or other mild white fish) cut 1" thick
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp melted margarine
1/2 Cup macadamia coconut nut crusters (available at Whole Foods in the seafood section)

To Make:

Marinate fish fillets in lime juice, kosher salt and black pepper for 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 350.  Baste both sides of each filet in margarine, and coat each side in coconut macadamia nut mix.  Press into fish so it doesn't fall off.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping once. 

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Nutty, Cheesy, Fruity Fall Salad

I just browsed through Epicurious.com's TOP 10 LIST.  Among their salads, this one stood out to me.  I made it last night and it was so delicious that I am making it again tonight!  When I told my husband what I was making for dinner he whined and complained saying "I don't like spinach salads!"  Well, needless to say, he ate it, and he LOVED it!  I made it as a side dish paired with chicken.

Serves 2 (as a side salad)

Ingredients:

Dressing:
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tsp dijon mustard
1/2 Tsp sugar
1/2 Tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Salad:
1/4 Cup chopped red onion
1/4 Cup sweetened dried cranberries or craisins
2 Cups firmly packed fresh baby spinach leaves, rinsed and dried
1 Ripe pear, sliced
1/4 Cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 Cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts or pecans

To Make:

To make the dressing, in a small jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper to taste.  Cover tightly and shake vigorously to blend.  Taste and adjust seasonings to liking.  Set aside.

Place the onions in a medium bowl and soak with cold water for 30 minutes.  This crisps the onion and takes away the raw onion taste.  Drain well and pat dry.

In a small bowl, toss the cranberries with 2 Tbsp of the dressing to soften them.  Set aside.

To assemble the salad, place the spinach, onions, cranberries, toasted nuts, crumbled goat cheese, and sliced pears in a large serving bowl.  Drizzle with remaining dressing and toss to coat evenly.  Voila!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Spring Mix Salad with Roasted Peppers, Artichoke Hearts and Warm Nutty Goat Chese

This is sort of a rip-off of Carrabba's Insalata Fiorucci.  My mom and I loved that salad so much, that we tried to make it on our own, and we did a pretty darn good job!  There is no protein on this salad, but it is filling because of the nuts and cheese.  This is a very simple salad, as well.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 Bag Spring Mix Lettuce
8 Roasted red pepper slices (I use the ones in the jar)
6 Artichoke hearts, quartered or halved (canned)
1/4 Cup sundried tomatoes
2 Goat cheese medallions, each about 3/4" thick, softened
1 Tbsp margarine
1/2 Crushed hazelnuts or pecans
Salad dressing of choice, vinaigrette works best

To Make:

Rinse lettuce and drain.  Place lettuce on two separate plates and top each with roasted red peppers, artichokes, and sundried tomatoes.  Set aside.

In medium saucepan, melt margarine and add hazelnuts on medium heat, to toast.  Set aside to cool slightly.  Roll in both goat cheese medallions, coating each with the nuts.  Place medallions on top of salads, and drizzle with salad dressing.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

BBQ Buffalo Burgers

Where have I been???  You are wondering.  Why are you posting something similar to an existing post???  I don't really have a good answer for either question, other than I've been working a lot lately, and I played with an old recipe only to make it even better.

Not to worry, I was in Europe for the past two weeks (Bavaria and Czech Republic) and will be posting some mighty tasty and hearty Bavarian dishes in the upcoming weeks.  Additionally, say hello to fall, and some of the season's best cooking!  I'll be much busier with my recipe blogging in the days and weeks to come.  :)

BBQ Buffalo Burgers

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 lb ground buffalo meat (or two pre-made patties)
2 tbsp worcestire sauce
1 tsp minced onion
1 tsp seasoning salt
dash of salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp margarine
6 thin-sliced yellow onions

2 slices cheese (preferably cheddar, or muenster)

1 cup bbq sauce (I like Jack Daniel's or Sweet Baby Ray's)
3 slices turkey bacon

To make:

Melt margarine in a large pot on low-medium heat.  Add onions and cook on low-medium for about an hour, tossing regularly.

Mix together buffalo meat with seasonings and form into two patties.  Heat olive oil in a pan or skillet on medium-high heat.  Cook burgers until pink in the middle, about 8 minutes on each side.

Cook bacon in microwave until crispy, about 4 minutes.  In a saucepan, add bacon crumbles and bbq sauce and let simmer.

Place burgers on a plate, and top with cheese, onions and sauce.