Fresh Tuna Burgers with Asian-Fusion Slaw and Wasabi Cream

W-O-W! If you're sick of your boring old beef/chicken/turkey burger, feast your eyes (and your mouth) on this creation: FRESH Albacore Tuna Burger, complete with Avocado, fresh cilantro, and homemade wasabi cream. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you!!

Fresh Tuna Burgers with Asian-Fusion Slaw and Wasabi Cream


INGREDIENTS

Burgers
1 lb fresh Albacore Tuna Steak
1-2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/ 4 C Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
Sesame Oil
1 Avocado, sliced
Mango Jicama Salsa*
Ginger-Sesame Soy Sauce*
Wasabi Cream*
Pea Shoots
2 Brioche Buns, toasted

*Recipes Below

Method
Preheat oven to 350. Chop tuna unto very small pieces. Combine with garlic and cilantro. Form into 2 patties. Head oven proof saute pan (or grill) to medium-high heat. Coat pan with sesame oil. Sear burger on one side 2-3 minutes. Flip burger and transfer to oven for 3-4 minutes. Serve on toasted Brioche roll. Top with avocado, mango jicama salsa, ginger-sesame sauce, and wasabi cream. Serve with Asia-fusion slaw.



Asian-Fusion Slaw
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
Small Red Cabbage, shredded
5 Carrots, shredded
Red Pepper, julienned
Red Onion, thinly sliced
2 T Wasabi Powder
2 T Mirin
1 T Grapeseed Oil
1/4 C flat leaf Parsley, chopped
Salt

Combine all. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


Mango Jicama Salsa
1 Mango, peeled, diced
1/2 Jicama, peeled, diced
1/2 Red Onion, diced
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
1 T sweet thai chili sauce
1 Jalapeno, seeded and veined, diced
1/2t salt

Combine all. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes to combine flavors.


Ginger Sesame Soy Sauce
1/2 C Soy Sauce
1 T Sesame Oil
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1" knob ginger, peeled, grated
1/2 t chili flake
1/2 T wasabi powder

Combine all, shake well to combine.


Wasabi Cream
1 C Heavy Cream
2 T Sour Cream
2 T Wasabi Powder
2 T Mirin
2 T Sugar
1 t Lemon Juice
1/4 t Salt

Whip cream with immersion blender (or whisk, or blender) until thick. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine, careful not to break the cream. Let sit in 'fridge until read to serve.

Crostini with Goat Cheese and Rosemary-Cherry-Balsamic Chutney

So. Simple. So. Complex. So. Delicious. This is the perfect recipe for entertaining!! Incredibly quick and easy to put together, all whole ingredients, incredibly easy to eat, incredibly delicious on the palate! You, your guests, and your taste buds will thank you!!


Crostini with Goat Cheese and Rosemary-Cherry-Balsamic Chutney

Ingredients
1-lb Cherries, pitted, chopped
10 sprigs Rosemary, stripped, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar
2 T Grapeseed Oil (can substitute olive oil)
4-6 oz. Goat Cheese
1 loaf French Bread, cut on the bias into 1/2" slices (I buy the thinnest loaf I can find - its easier it eat)

Method
In saute pan set over low-medium heat, add cherries and rosemary. Saute 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 minute. Add balsamic and oil. Saute 2-3 minutes. Cherries should darken in color and become very soft.

Toast bread until barely golden (you want it to still maintain a little softness). Spread with goat cheese and top with chutney. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.

The cherry chutney will keep for about 4 days in the refrigerator. It's really good on anything! I have it for a quick on-the-go breakfast on a half bagel with cream cheese.

Spinach Stuffed Bone-In Pork Chops

This pork chop is the easiest quickest way to feed a hungry belly and to make a special main that you and your guests will feel extra luxurious eating. Difficulty - 1. Deliciousness - 10!!

Spinach Stuffed Bone-In Pork Chops
1 large Bone-In Pork Chop
1C Fresh Spinach (or frozen, if you don't have fresh, thawed and squeezed out)
1/4C Onion, diced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1oz - 2oz goat cheese (depending on how cheesy you're feeling)
1t Fresh Rosemary, Thyme
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

METHOD
Filling
Saute spinach in pan with olive oil. Once wilted down, remove from pan and squeeze all the water out that you can and set aside in bowl. If using frozen, skip this step, you're already done! In same pan, add a bit of olive oil and saute onions 2-3 mins. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onion mix to spinach. Add goat cheese and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chop
Find a nice, thick flat side of the chop. Make a small lateral incision, appx 2" long. Working carefully, place the chop on a cutting board and, keeping your knife parallel to the counter, cut a pocket into the center of the chop. I always make my pocket as big as possible, leaving about 1/2" on all sides between the edged of the pocket and the outside edge of the chop (this gives you the MAX amount of space to evenly add your filling, so you get a bit in every bite!!)

Now it's time for stuffing - Push as much stuffing as you can into the incision, working it all the way to the back and trying to space it evenly. Once stuffed, rub the chop with olive oil and season with salt an pepper.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat an oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat. Add pork chop (you should hear sizzling). Cook 3-4 minutes, until golden-brown. Carefully flip chop, taking note not to spill the filling out. Immediately transfer saute pan to oven and cook 3 more minutes. Remove from oven, remove from pan, and rest 5 minutes.

FINITO!!

Cheers :-)

Blackeyed Peas with Quinoa and Exotic Mushrooms

HAPPY NEW YEARS!! Or, HAPPY WEDNESDAY! I created this dish in honor of New Years Day and hoping for a little luck. I'm not gonna lie - I was nervous about it, because I never really liked black-eyed peas growing up, but I wanted the luck!! However, WOW - these were great - I'd eat them any day!! See below for a day-2 remix :-)

Blackeyed Peas with Quinoa and Exotic Mushrooms

1-lb dried blackeyed peas (with enough water to cover by 2 inches)

1C Quinoa

2C Water

3 Bay Leaves

6 Cloves Garlic, divided

1T Mushroom base

1-1/2 T Salt

1 Onion, diced

8oz Exotic Mushrooms

1T Butter

1/2C Slivered Almonds, toasted

1T each Fresh Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, chopped

Pepper, optional, to taste

Method

Wash beans under running water, removing any impurities. In a large stock pot, combine water, bay leaves, 3 cloves minced garlic, mushroom base, and 1T salt. Bring to boil, add blackeyed peas, and cook 30-40 mins, until tender, but not mushy. Drain, remove from heat, set aside. Rinse out stock pot and combine 2C water and quinoa with 3 cloves minced garlic, diced onion and 1/2T salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook 20 minutes (or until all water is absorbed).

Meanwhile, chop mushrooms and saute in butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add reserved beans and mushrooms to quinoa. Wipe out saute pan and toast almonds. Add to pot. Finely chop fresh herbs and add to pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot and enjoy!!

Day two remixes:

Add diced avocado and crumbled goat cheese to black-eyed peas with quinoa.

-or-

Saute kale in veggie stock with garlic, onions, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Add to black-eyed peas with quinoa.

Pumpkin Butternut Stuffed Shells with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

OK - So I will admit that from the first tinge of fall in the air after the end of a hot summer I want to eat anything PUMPKIN. But these shells are honestly amazing any time of year! Very quick and simple to make with minimal pan-cleaning afterwards!!YAY!

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4 (or 2 with lunch tomorrow)

3/4 Can of Pumpkin (save the rest for Pumpkin Pancakes)
1/2 Butternut Squash
1/4 C Part-Skim Ricotta
1/4 C Low-Fat Cream Cheese
1/2 White Onion, diced, divided

2 T Brown Sugar

Pinch fresh Nutmeg

2 Cloves Garlic
8-10 Sage Leaves
2 T Butter
1/2 t Salt, divided
1/2 C Veggie Stock
1/2 C Shredded Parmesan
12 Jumbo Pasta Shells
Olive Oil
2 T Pepitas, toasted



METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut ends of butternut squash, pierce with fork, and coat with thin layer of olive oil and season with salt. Roast in oven 45 mins, or until very soft. Meanwhile, bring water, pinch salt and 1/2C veggie stock to boil. Add shells and cook until al dente. Remove and drain on rack. Saute onions olive oil, until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Combine pumpkin, butternut, reserved onion, ricotta, cream cheese, half of parmesan, brown sugar, nutmeg, and a few sage leaves (chopped). Blend with immersion blender until very smooth.

Stuff shells with pumpkin mixture and arrange in baking dish. Top with remaining parmesan. Add 1/2 C veggie stock, cover with aluminum and bake 5 mins. Top with toasted pepitas.

While shells are baking, melt butter in saute pan. Once it becomes foamy, add remaining chopped sage leaves and cook until butter begins to brown (watch it closely - it turns from "brown butter" to "burnt butter" very quickly.)

Drizzle shells with brown butter sage sauce and serve immediately!

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Buns

Ok, so if there ever was something so decadent on earth that it would cause an uprising if a shortage occurred, it would be these cinnamon buns. They're ridiculously moist, buttery, crunchy, glazy, sweet-potato-y, and just straight delicious. The perfect fall brunch item, or maybe a Thanksgiving or Christmas day treat!! PLUS you can make the dough the night before, so the day of is just as simple as putting them in the oven.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Buns
Buns
2 (1/4 oz) Active Dry Yeast packets
1/2 C warm water
1 t sugar
5.5 C flour, divided
1 C mashed sweet potato
2 T Honey
1 t cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 C milk
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C butter, melted
Zest of 1 medium orange
1.5 t salt
1 t baking soda

Filling
3/4 C butter, melted
2 C brown sugar
2 C pecans, toasted and chopped
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg

Glaze
1 C brown sugar
1/3 C corn syrup
1/4 C butter
1/2 C heavy cream
1 t vanilla

Icing
1/2 milk
2 C powdered sugar
1/4 C maple syrup

Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together yeast, water and 1 t sugar in small glass bowl. Allow to rest for 5 mins. Meanwhile, combine sweet potato, honey, 1 t cinnamon, egg, milk and butter. In another bowl, combine sugar, 4.5 C flour (reserve 1/2 C), zest, salt and baking soda. In bowl of stand mixer, whisk together yeast and 1/2 C flour until well blended. Attach dough hook and gradually add sweet potato mixture and flour mixture, blending well after each addition.

Turn out onto floured surface and work remaining 1/2 C flour into dough, kneading by hand. Continue to knead for 4-5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place in a large bowl, coated with cooking spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for an hour, until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for filling.

Once dough has doubled, punch it down and turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Roll it out into a roughly 10 x 18 rectangle. Top with an even layer of filling, leaving a 1-inch margin on all sides. Roll the dough up, starting on a long side (so your end product should be appx. 18 inches long). Cut into 12 slices and arrange them face up in a baking dish coated with cooking spray (you can use 2 if you need to). Cover with plastic wrap and proof (rise in a warm place) for 30 minutes. Alternately, you can cover them and place them in the 'fridge the night before.

Meanwhile, assemble glaze. Combine brown sugar, corn syrup and butter in sauce pan and bring up to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it reached a rolling boil, allow it to cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately stir in vanilla and heavy cream, whisking furiously.*

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, remove from oven and pour glaze over them in batches, allowing ti to sink in in between additions. Return to oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes until golden and toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle. Allow to cool a bit.

Beat together milk and powdered sugar. Add maple syrup and beat until thickened, but not stiff. Just, glazey. Top buns with glaze once they have cooled off a bit and go to town.

Chocolate Cappuccino Stout Cake

So they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and I would give this cake about an 11 on a scale of 1-10 for it's MAN-pleasing-ness (I mean, dark chocolate, beer, coffee?? Does it get any better?) My inspiration was a seasonal specialty beer made by Lagunitas in Petaluma, California called "Cappuccino Stout." With a nice nuttiness and hints of coffee and chocolate and a sweet maltiness, this stout is like heaven to drink, and it really got my brain turning in terms of what I could do with it in the kitchen. And thus, the Chocolate Cappuccino Stout Cake was born.

Chocolate Cappuccino Stout Cake
Cake
2 C Butter (4 sticks)
2 C Stout Beer, plus extra for garnish*
1.5 C Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder (Or Dutch if you feel like getting expensive)

1/2 C Fresh Brewed Espresso

4 C Cake Flour
4 C Sugar
1 T Baking Powder
1.5 t Salt
4 Eggs
3/4 C Sour Cream (Or Greek Yogurt if you want to cut a few calories)

Ganache

8 oz Semi-sweet Chocolate (chips, chunks, whatever - just chop it up small)

1/2 C Heavy Cream

1T Instant Coffee Granules

Icing
1 C (2 sticks) softened butter
4-5 C Powdered Sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 t Vanilla
2 T Heavy Cream

Garnish
Mini Chocolate Chips (I used the leftover from the ganache - but you can use chocolate chunks, or curls, or whatever you used)

Sauce
1 C Brown Sugar
1/3 C Corn Syrup
1/2 C Reserved Butter-Cocoa-Beer Mix
1/2 C Additional Stout
1 t Instant Coffee Granules
1/2 C Heavy Cream

*I used 'Young's Double Chocolate Stout'. You can certainly use the 'Lagunita's Cappuccino Stout', but it's sometimes hard to find, and I kind of feel like if you can get your hands on it, you should certainly drink it.

Method
Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degree. Butter three 9-inch pans, line bottom with parchment and butter parchment.

Heat butter and beer in saute pan until butter is melted. Add cocoa powder and stir to combine. Transfer to bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Brew 1/2 C fresh espresso, remove 1/2 C of butter-cocoa-beer mixture from bowl, and replace with espresso. Reserve 1/2 C butter mix for sauce.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In bowl of stand mixer (or a large bowl), beat together eggs and sour cream with paddle attachment. Once butter-cocoa-beer-espresso mix is cooled, add to mixing bowl and beat to combine. Add flour mixture a cup at a time until all in and mix for one minute. Divide equally between buttered pans. Drop pans on counter a couple times to release any hidden bubbles, and then make an indent with the back of a large spoon in the center of each (this will help them rise more evenly). Bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely before frosting.

Ganache
Place chocolate in medium bowl. Heat heavy cream in sauce pan with coffee granules, stirring to melt. When simmering, pour over chocolate and whisk until completely melted, dark and shiny. Allow to rest at room temperature for 10-20 minutes to thicken up a bit.

Icing
Beat butter in bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment for 1-2 minutes, until pale yellow, light and fluffy. Reduce speed, and add powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until desired sweetness/thickness achieved. (I add my sugar at a low speed and then once incorporated, speed it up to really whip it into shape). Add vanilla and heavy cream and beat for 30-40 seconds.

Sauce
Heat brown sugar, corn syrup, butter-cocoa mix, beer and coffee granule in saute pan until it boils, whisking often. Allow it to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately add heavy cream, whisking furiously. Set aside. (You can ad more beer if you like it a little 'stout-i-er'.)

Assembly
Using cerated knife, cut the tops of the cakes so that you have a flat surface (otherwise, your cakes will crack when you stack them!) Cut each cake in half (so you'll now have 6 layers instead of 3). With pastry brush, apply extra stout to the top of each layer. Place a small 'blob' of icing on your frosting surface, and place first layer of cake on it. Cut a ring out of parchment paper and line plate with it (to keep the surface clean). Frost top of cake with thin layer of icing, and repeat with remaining layers/icing, frosting sides last. Spoon ganache over only the top of the cake, being careful not to allow the ganache to spill down the sides of the cake. Apply a ring of mini chocolate chips around the edge, covering the transition from ganache to icing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serving
Heat sauce up so it's nice and warm. Cut a slice of cake, placing it on it's side, and spoon a bit of sauce over the top. It's great like this, but if you feel like getting EXTRA crazy you can serve it with a bit of chocolate or coffee ice cream.

Poached Eggs with Avocado and Goat Cheese

Brunch is Served! A super easy lazy Sunday morning meal that's sure to cure your hunger pangs, please your taste buds and get you going for the day!!

Poached Eggs with Avocado and Goat Cheese
Serves 1
2 Eggs, the fresher the better*
1/2 an Avocado, sliced
1 oz Goat Cheese
3-4 inch piece of French Bread, split
Splash of White Vinegar**
Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Preheat Broiler. In medium stock pot, bring 3-4 inches of water to a light boil (almost just a simmer) and add a bit of salt and a splash of vinegar (approximately 2 T, but you don't need to measure). Add eggs, one at a time, very gently into the water and give the pot a little 'swirl' after each addition (this will help any egg white that's not tight to the yolk stay intact). Cook eggs for 3-4 minutes, keeping an eye on them - What you want is to cook the whites completely, but leave a gooey, runny yolk in the center.

Meanwhile, place french bread, open faced in the broiler and toast a few mins, but not until your desired 'doneness'. Add avocado and goat cheese and toast the rest of the way. When eggs are done, remove with slotted spoon veeeerrryyyy gennttlllyyyy and place one on each side of the toast. Season with salt and lots of fresh cracked black pepper and dig in!!

*The fresher the egg, the more intact the white will be to the yolk, and the tighter your poached egg will appear.
**I know it sounds weird, but its not for flavor (you won't even taste it) - The vinegar helps the egg stay together and not scatter all through the water.

Roasted Red Pepper, Mushroom and Arugula Pasta with Lemon-scented Olive Oil

Here's a super easy and and super delicious pasta dinner that is a little lighter than your traditional spaghetti-and-marinara-sauce dinner. The sweetness of the Roasted Red Peppers and the peppery bite of the Arugula play well off each other to give this dish a *POP*. Cheers!!

Roasted Red Pepper, Mushroom and Arugula Pasta with Lemon-scented Olive Oil 
Serves 2
1 Red Pepper, stemmed, ribs and seeds removed
4-6 button mushrooms
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 C Arugula
1/2 Box of Spaghetti Noodles (more or less, however hungry you are)
1 T Olive Oil
Juice and Zest of 1/2 a Lemon
Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Char Red Pepper on open flame on stove, turning every couple minutes, until blackened. (If you don't have a gas range, you can achieve the same effect by placing the rack on the top level and roasting the pepper under the broiler, turning often.) Put into ziplock back and seal, letting the pepper steam itself.

Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, boil water and add salt once rolling. While water is coming to a boil, combine Olive Oil, zest, juice, salt and pepper in a shaker and shake vigorously. Set aside. Add pasta, mushrooms, and garlic to boiling salted water and cook 8-10 minutes. Drain pasta and pour into large saute pan over medium heat. Pour olive oil mix over pasta and toss to coat. Remove pepper from bag and remove skin by gently rubbing the surface. Slice pepper into strips and add to pasta along with arugula. Toss to combine. Check salt/pepper level and adjust accordingly. Serve hot!

S'mores Martini

OOooooo it's soooo gooood... I developed this after Smifnoff came out with their "Fluffed" vodka, which is an amazingly creamy toasted marshmallow vodka that is just delicious in everything, but especially a S'mores Martini! Everything is in equal parts, so if you're making it for one or 20, you can use the same measuring utensil and it's just easy peasy!!

S'mores Martini
1 oz Smirnoff Fluffed
1 oz Skim Milk
1 oz Irish Cream
Garnish:
Chocolate Syrup
Graham Crackers

Crush Graham crackers into fine dust (if it's chunky, it won't stick to the rim). Dip rim of martini glass in water and roll around in the graham crackers. Pour alcohol into shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Swirl glass with chocolate syrup and strain alcohol on top. Drink. Repeat.