Red Pickled Onions

I love pickled onions! They go so well with fish, chicken, tacos, salads...anything!
I got this recipe from the Rosa Mexicano cookbook, they are so pretty and delicious.

Ingredients

1 large thinly sliced red onion
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup of white vinegar
1 cup of lime juice
1 habanero chile (use jalapeno if you dont want it too spicy)

Pack the onions tightly into a mason jar. Mix vinegar, lime juice and seasonings and pour over onions. Slice open the chile and insert into jar.
Make sure onions are fully covered or add more lime juice.
Let rest overnight, these can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Steak Tartare

I've said this before and I'll say it again; one of my favorite joys of cooking is that you dont need to travel to a fancy restaurant to try an amazing dish. All you need is top notch ingredients, determination and skills. With that said, I NEVER go to a restaurant and order something I can make myself, NEVER.
Well, last week I had the tartare where my hubby works and I'm in love with it. i have never attempted to make it myself since its a lot of work, mincing raw meat can be a nightmare, but I did it and it came out wonderful!
(I'm not just saying this because I made it)
Naturally I followed Anthony Bourdain's recipe from Les Halles, adding a few ingredients of my own. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 anchovy filets, finely chopped
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 olive
1 oz Cognac
1 small onion, freshly and finely chopped
2 oz capers, rinsed
2 oz cornichons, finely chopped
4 sprigs of flat parsley, finely chopped
1 1/4 lb. fresh sirloin, finely chopped
French fries, optional
4 slices fine quality white bread, toasted, quartered, for toast points

Directions:

Place the egg yolks in a large stainless-steel bowl and add the mustard and anchovies. Mix well, then add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and pepper and mix well again. Slowly whisk in the oil, then add the Cognac and mix again. Fold in the onion, capers, cornichons, and parsley.

Add the chopped meat to the bowl and mix well using a spoon or your hands. Divide the meat evenly among the six chilled dinner plates and, using a ring mold or spatula, form it into disks on the plates. Serve immediately with French fries and toasted bread points.

Bulgur Wheat with peaches, avocado, parsley and pistachios.

(PLEASE EXCUSE THE UGLY PICTURE, I WAS STARVING, SO I DID IT AS FAST AS I COULD)

Well, it's been a while since my last blog. A lot has happened; I got married, moved, new job, it's been crazy, so cooking has been the last thing on my mind. But something I did do lots of is dine out..a lot! I tasted so many new dishes that I feel inspired, all I wanna do now is cook new things. So here we go...
I made this recipe in about 15 minutes,

1 cup of uncooked bulgur
1 cup of boiling water
3 thinly sliced nectarines
5 sliced green onions
1/4 cup flat leaf pasley
1/4 cup cilantro
3 tbls balsamic vinaigrette
salt and pepper to taste
a handful of pistachios

1. Combine bulgur wheat and the cup of boiling water, bring to boil then simmer until soft. About 15 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl mix in rest of ingredients and toss well. Once the bulgur cooled down a little, toss everything together and serve.

Turkey Sausages and Peppers

I know I have said this before, but this is the best spicy tomato sauce you can buy packaged. It's a bit on the pricier side compared to others, buts it's definetly worth it.


Serves 4

1 thinly sliced green pepper
1 thinly sliced red pepper
1 thinly sliced onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic
14 oz 95% fat free turkey sausage cooked and sliced
1/2 a jar of Arrabiata Sauce

1- In a large sauce pan drizzle some olive oil, and saute the first 4 ingredients until soft. About 4 minutes.
2- Add sliced turkey pieces and saute with the rest for another 3 minutes.
3- Add sauce and stir everything together until sauce gets warm. Serve over whole wheat pasta, rice or serve alone.

Edamame and Avocado Salad

Yesterday as I ran sacked my sister's refrigerator, I came across the "infamous" edamame salad that she invented. Now, I've always been curious about it because she doesn't really cook, unless its mixing candy with ice cream or vice versa, so I was brave and tasted. Well, she wasnt kidding! This thing is like a party of textures and flavors...I'm in love! So I took her recipe, and changed it's original name; "The Goody Master's Salad". Ha! Enjoy :D

Serves 2

4oz frozen shelled edamame
4oz canned corn
4oz canned black beans
1 avocado diced medium
2 tomatos small diced
2 tbsp of chopped cilantro
1/4 red onion diced small
Drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice

1- In a quart size pot bring water to a boil, add edamame and simmer for about 10 minutes or until tender. Strain.
2- In a large bowl mix the next 6 ingredients, add the edamame and toss with olive oil and lemon juice.
3- Serve.

Coconut Shrimp

Frying food requires high temperatures which is why you need to use an oil that has a high smoke point. Let me explain this without sounding crazy...
The smoke point of oil is very important to know because after the oil has reached it's smoke point and it's begun to break down its no longer good for consumption. A lot of people dont know this, but once you start to see your oil smoking and releasing a harsh smell, it's a done deal. It will leave your food tasting greasy and looking burnt, aside from releasing large quantities of free radicals which contribute to cancer.
Olive oil has a very high smoke point, but since frying requires a lot of oil your best bet is to use the "inexpensive" peanut oil.

Phew! Where was I?!? Oh...right...coconut shrimp! This is a fast recipe and its super yumms. Enjoy!

Makes 18

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
salt and pepper to taste
2 large eggs
18 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left intact
peanut oil


1.Mix the first 3 ingredients in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl mix beat 2 eggs.
3.Working with one shrimp at a time, dip shrimp in beaten egg then in coconut/ panko mixture.
4.Pour enough peanut oil (about 1/2 inch)in a frying pan and heat over medium high heat.
5. Work in batches, cook shrimp for about 2 minutes each side until golden and crusty.
6. Drain on paper towel and serve warm.

Barley, Butternut Squash, and Shiitake Risotto

I've discovered my new obsession...barley! I got this recipe from Cooking Light but I changed it a little to my liking. This dish has a risotto texture, but it has a different cooking method and it's much healthier. Enjoy!

Serves 6 (1 cup servings)

3 cups small diced butternut squash
2 cups of thinly sliced shiitake
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup of uncooked barley
2 garlic cloves chopped
2/3 cup of white wine
3 1/2 cups of organic vegetable broth
4 oz of tallegio cheese ( my fav!)
2 tbsp of chopped thyme
salt and pepper to taste
drizzle of olive oil

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine squash, oil and salt toss well and arrange on a single layer baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes.
3. Saute mushrooms in some olive oil for about 5 minutes and set aside in a separate bowl.
4. In the same pan drizzle some more oil and saute onions, then add garlic and barley cook 1 minute stirring constantly, add wine and bring to a boil. Cook about 3 minutes until wine is absorbed, add broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender.
5. Remove from heat, add cheese, squash, mushrooms and thyme. Serve immediately.