Salmon with Parsley Butter

Ingredients:

1 lb of salmon, sliced into 3 inch pieces

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt

For parsley butter
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic, minced
juice of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon of lemon zest

Preparation:

To make parsley butter microwave butter for a minute or two on low power until it is melted. Whisk melted butter with lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and parsley. Chill in a refrigerator until fish is ready.

Heat the olive oil in a pan on high heat until hot, about 1 minute. Put salmon skin side down and reduce heat to medium. Fry salmon for about 4-5 minutes until skin is crispy and does not stick to the pan. Flip the fish over and continue cooking for another minute or until done. Salt to taste and serve with parsley butter.

Tomato Mozzarella and Basil Salad

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes, sliced into circles

3 oz of fresh mozzarella, sliced into circles

2 leaves of fresh basil, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

Preparation:

On a plate arrange tomato and mozzarella slices, sprinkle with basil and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

The Willows Inn and Lummi Island

This year for my birthday we went to the Willows Inn on Lummi Island. We hiked the Baker Preserve to the top of the island and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the Willows Inn. No wonder the Chef Blaine just got a James Beard Award. Here are few pictures from the trip. 

Beef Short Ribs with Parsley Pesto

Ingredients:

1 lb of beef short ribs, thinly sliced

½ red jalapenos, cleaned and finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup of parsley leaves, finely chopped

1 ½ tablespoons of red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper

Preparation:

To make parsley pesto combine parsley, jalapenos, minced garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil in a bowl and whisk together. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Pesto can be made few hours in advance and chilled in a refrigerator.

Preheat grill to hot, I use 500F. Pat dry meat with a paper towel. Once grill is hot, grill ribs 2 minutes per side. To serve spread pesto on top of each rib.

Roasted Eggplant Spread

I love eggplant and always look for new ways to make it at home. This is almost a baba ganoush but without tahini. The recipe is below.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants (9-10 inches long and 4 in diameter), cut into 1 ½ inch thick circles

2 garlic cloves, minced through the garlic press

juice of ½ of a lemon

½ teaspoon of cumin

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Generously brush eggplant circles with olive oil on both sides, layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes turning once. Let eggplant cool off. Remove the skin and transfer into a food processor. Add garlic, cumin, lemon juice, parsley and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Puree. Salt and pepper to taste. Store in a refrigerator. Serve cold with grilled bread or corn chips.

Ginger Garlic Baked Tofu

I adapted this recipe from PCC Natural Markets. The hardest part is grating ginger. The best part is the sauce. For less expensive ingredients head to the asian market. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of extra firm tofu
3 oz of orange juice
1/2 cup of mirin
1/4 cup of tamari
1/4 cup of sesame oil
1/8 cup of olive oil
1/8 cup of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons of minced garlic through the garlic press

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F. In a meantime take tofu out of a package and squeeze water out of it by placing it in a bowl with a weight on top. Cut tofu into 4 pieces per pound. Place tofu in a large ovenproof glass dish.

2. In a large bowl whisk together orange juice, mirin, tamari, sesame oil, olive oil, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic.

3. Pour the sauce over tofu and bake in the oven for 1 hour, flipping and basting every 15 minutes.

4. Serve with rice. Great cold.

Sugar Cookies from Real Simple

Baking cookies during holidays is a fun activity to do with kids. I used the following recipe from Real Simple magazine.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
3/4 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Flour for rolling the dough out
Different cookie cutters

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). Shape into a ball and refrigerate, wrapped in a plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Take the dough out, cut the ball into quarters. Working in batches, roll out each dough quarter on a floured surface to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters and place on parchment-lined baking sheets; refrigerate until firm (about 10 minutes). Bake until just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

3. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.