Togarashi Sauce

Togarashi is a Japanese spice mixture. I am not sure of all that is in it, but there is a blend of chilies, sesame seeds, citrus...mmm, I will have to work on the rest of it. I am not sure of ALL the ingredients listed in Japanese.
This sauce has a little heat, and a little sweet! It pairs well with lots of Asian dishes.
In a future post, I will share a shrimp potsticker recipe but today I hit Trader Joe's and they had potstickers ready to go in the freezer section.

Togarashi Sauce with Potstickers

3/4 cup mayonnaise or Vegenaise
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2-2 Tablespoons honey
3-4 teaspoons Togarashi
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
1 Tablespoon Mirin

Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
Best if flavors are allowed to meld for a few hours in the refrigerator.
Serve as a dipping sauce or put in a squeeze bottle and drizzle over top.

Spinach-Basil Pesto

 We are harvesting the last of the spinach and basil.
This pesto can be used as a condiment for sandwiches, slathered over roast chicken, or as a sauce for pasta.
It comes together quickly and can be stored in the refrigerator about a week or frozen.

Spinach-Basil Pesto over Pasta with Chicken

3 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves
pinch of red pepper flakes
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil

Put spinach, basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and Parmesan in a food processor.
Turn on and while running, pour in olive oil. Process until combined, scraping down sides as needed.
Put pesto in a small bowl, use as needed.

Raincoast Crisps with Tapenade

I am off to Seattle to attend the International Food Bloggers Conference and one of the sponsors is Raincoast Crisps.
We are huge fans of these crackers. They elevate any cheese plate and are delicious on their own.
They come in a variety of flavor combinations and now also have several wheat free options, Thank You!
Today, along with some cheese, I am serving the Raincoast Oat Crisps with Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade. The Raincoast Crisps hold up to any dip or pate.

1-9 ounce jar roasted red pepper, drained and chopped

Raincoast Crisps with Tapenade

1-12 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles a chunky pesto.
Allow the flavors to meld for a few hours.
This could also be used over pasta, as a sauce or on top of grilled fish.

Thai Chicken Cakes with Cilantro Lime Mayo

These can be formed into small 2 inch cakes to serve as an appetizer or made into 4-6 inch cakes to be used as a main course. Served along with a side salad, would be perfect for lunch or dinner.

Thai Chicken Cakes with Cilantro Lime Mayo

Cilantro Lime Mayo:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
juice of 1 lime
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
3 green onions, minced
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves only minced
1-2 Tablespoon honey
garlic chili paste or Sambal Oelek, 1/2 teaspoon+

Mix together mayo, lime, fish sauce, onions, cilantro, honey, and chili paste(to taste) stirring well.
Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Thai Chicken Cakes:
2 chicken breast, cubed
2 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 inch peeled fresh ginger root, roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 1/2-2 cups panko, for breading (I used GF crackers, processed)
2 Tablespoons, plus more if needed, rice bran oil

Place the chicken, garlic, ginger, mustard, onion, cilantro, red pepper, salt and pepper in a food processor and process for 15-20 seconds.
Shape the chicken mixture into cakes and roll into panko, place on a wax paper lined baking sheet.
Heat the oil in a frying pan of medium heat and fry the chicken cakes on each side until golden.
Remove to serving platter and dollop with Cilantro Lime Mayo.

Dungeness Crab Benedict

It is early Sunday morning and more fresh crab is in the house, so what could be more decadent than a Crab Benedict?
The lemony sauce is a perfect enhancement to the sweet crab.

Dungeness Crab Benedict

Allow a quarter of a cup of crab for each toasted english muffin and a poached egg with this Hollandaise Sauce.

For each Crab Benedict:
1 slice of an English Muffin, toasted
1/4 cup fresh Dungeness Crab
1 poached egg
2 Tablespoons Hollandaise Sauce
sprinkle of finely chopped fresh chives

Serve immediately.

Asian Barbecue Wings

Hoisin and sesame baked chicken wings are good hot or cold. They are perfect finger food for summertime activities.

Asian Barbecue Wings

3 pounds of chicken wings, tips removed
1 Tablespoon rice bran oil (or vegetable oil)
kosher salt and fresh pepper
1/2 cup minced green onions
1/3 cup Hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seed, garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F.

Pour oil on a large baking sheet lined with foil.
Place chicken wings on baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven about 45 minutes, until chicken skin is crispy, turning once.

In a small saucepan, combine green onions, Hoisin sauce, butter, honey, ginger and sesame oil and heat to make a sauce.

Remove wings from oven and place in a bowl. Pour Hoisin sauce over top and mix well.
Top with sesame seeds, if desired.

Smoked Salmon Pizza

This recipe is patterned after a pizza that Wolfgang Puck made famous. I believe he tops his with caviar but I think a tablespoon of capers or minced chives would be a great addition sprinkled over top of the pizza.
I made a gluten free crust but use any prepared pizza dough.

Smoked Salmon Pizza

8 ounces prepared pizza dough
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup Dill Cream
6 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon lox
capers, minced chives (optional)

Preheat oven to 500F

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12 inch round, a little less than 1/4 inch thick.
Transfer dough to rimless baking sheet or pizza stone, brush with olive oil.
Scatter sliced onion over top. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 6-8 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes.

Spread the Dill Cream over the top to the edge of pizza.
Arrange the salmon to cover the surface entirely.
Use a pizza wheel to slice.
Top with caper, minced chives, or caviar, if desired

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Dill Cream

Tis the season for potato salad but don't over look these roasted fingerlings. The dill cream is also a great addition to grilled salmon off the barbecue.

Dill Cream:

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Dill Cream

1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 Tablespoon shallot, minced
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
zest of small lemon
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mix well.
Allow dill cream to come to room temperature before serving over warm potatoes.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes:
2 pounds of fingerling potatoes, cleaned and halved lengthwise
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 425F.
In a large bowl, toss potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper.
Place in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake, turning once, until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, about 25-30 minutes.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Tomatoes are looking great at the farmers market, and this salad has an Asian flair to it. The Persian cucumbers I saw recently at Trader Joe's would also work well, sliced and tossed with the dressing

Tomato Cucumber Salad

4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 English cucumber, sliced
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Sweet Soy Dressing
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon sweet soy sauce
1 Tablespoon mustard
pinch of wasabi powder
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons rice bran oil
(could substitute canola oil)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a bowl combine the garlic, vinegar, soy, mustard and wasabi.
Whisk in the sesame and rice bran oil until well emulsified. Add salt and pepper.
Lay tomatoes and cucumbers on serving platter and drizzle dressing over top.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Corn Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Crema

If you like Mexican food, fresh vegetables, and peppers, you are going to really enjoy this!
Fresh corn is now in the market but frozen will work well also.
The avocado crema is also good as a tortilla dip or slathered on a sandwich. I just saw Bake using it as a dip for grilled shrimp.

Corn Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Crema

Avocado Cilantro Crema
1 bunch of cilantro, washed
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 green onion, sliced
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 large avocado, pitted and cubed
1 large lime, juiced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine cilantro, garlic, green onion, and sugar in a food processor until finely chopped.
Add sour cream, vinegar, avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper, blend until smooth.
Adjust seasoning to taste, more sugar, lime juice, salt or pepper, as desired.

Corn Tacos
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sweet onion, diced
2 cups corn
1 cup zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
1red chili pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
6-8 corn tortillas

In a large saute pan over medium heat olive oil and add onion, cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Add corn and zucchini, cook about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add peppers and cook about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add 1/2 of tomatoes.
In a large non-stick pan or over gas burner, heat corn tortillas until warm. Remove and spoon in vegetable mixture, top with avocado crema, and tomatoes.
Serve with additional avocado crema and lime on the side.

Grilled Zucchini-Two Dishes

Zucchini is abundant during the summer months. I like to use the small, tender ones before they become large and seedy. The first post is like a warm zucchini salad and the second, could be served as a vegetarian main course, with that delicious sun dried tomato basil butter.

Grilled Zucchini Mozzarella Salad:

Grilled Zucchini Mozzarella Salad

2-3 zucchini, ends trimmed and sliced 1/4 inches lengthwise
1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 Mozzarella, sliced
6 oven dried tomatoes, halved
1 Tablespoon reduced balsamic
basil leaves to garnish

In a glass pan, toss the sliced zucchini with 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.
Preheat grill pan and lay the zucchini across in a single layer. Cook about 5 minutes on each side and return to glass pan. Add the remaining 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil and sherry vinegar, lightly toss.
Place the zucchini on a platter, top with mozzarella and tomatoes. Drizzle with any remaining oil from glass pan and spoon balsamic over all. Garnish with basil leaves.

Grilled Zucchini with Sun Dried Tomato Basil Butter
Prepare the zucchini as in the previous post with olive oil and salt and pepper.
Grill and then top with 2 Tablespoons Sun Dried Tomato Butter.

Grilled Zucchini with Sun Dried Tomato Basil Butter

Pork Tenderloin with Chipotle-Plum Sauce

This sauce is quick and easy to put together, would also be pair well with grilled beef or chicken.
A note on the chipotle in adobo sauce, I love using this condiment. It is smokey and a little spicy, perfect to use in a barbecue sauce. Chipotle peppers are smoked, dried peppers, usually jalapeno, and come in a can. The problem is you rarely need the whole can. If I know I am using them in the near future, I leave the leftover peppers and sauce in a sealed glass container in the fridge. Otherwise, you can make a paste by blending them in a food processor and freezing them in 1 Tablespoon amounts to use when needed.

Pork Tenderloin with Chipotle-Plum Sauce

1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed

marinade:
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper

sauce:
2 teaspoons chipotle with adobo sauce
6 plums, sliced in half
1 teaspoon honey
pinch of salt

In a small bowl, combine mustard, honey, and garlic.
Place pork in a glass pan and cover it with marinade. Allow it marinate in fridge for several hours.
Preheat oven to 375F.

About 20 minutes before cooking, take pork tenderloin out of fridge and bring to room temperature.
Place pork on foil lined baking sheet and cook until internal temperature reaches 145F. Remove and allow to rest while making sauce.

In a food processor mix plums, chipotle, honey, and salt until pureed. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat to boiling. Remove from heat.
Slice pork tenderloin and spoon sauce over top.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Sauce

So many ways to make fish tacos. The Bake likes them deep fried but they are just as good cooked on the grill. A firm white fish is best, I used Cod but Halibut, Snapper, or Mahi Mahi would also work.
Winter salsa, (from previous post) or your favorite Pico de Gallo served along with cream sauce.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Sauce

Lime-Cilantro Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayo or Vegenaise
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 zest of lime, grated
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
pinch of salt

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayo, cilantro, zest and lime juice, adobo sauce, garlic and salt. Whisk and set aside in refrigerator for several hours to allow flavors to meld.

Fish Marinade:
1 pound of cod fish
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil

6-8 corn tortillas
Winter salsa or Pico de Gallo
2 cups of green cabbage, shredded
wedges of lime
cilantro sprigs

Place fish in a glass dish. In a small bowl combine chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pour over fish and coat well. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator (about 4 hours).

Wrap tortillas in foil.
Turn grill to medium-high and cook fish about 3-4 minutes a side. Remove from grill and place on a platter, cut into chunks. While fish is grilling, put foil wrapped tortillas on the other side of grill to heat.

To serve tacos, take a warm tortilla and top with pieces of fish, a spoonful of lime-cilantro sauce, a spoonful of salsa, and some cabbage.
Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

Smokey Winter Salsa

Trying to find salsa for your Cinco de Mayo fixins? Are the tomatoes in your local not quite ready? Or, if it is the middle of winter and tomatoes are out of season, this salsa comes to the rescue. It is a hot, smoky, salsa due to the addition of chipotle sauce.

I am already thinking this will be topped on a frittata or omelet for breakfast.

1 14 ounce can of fire roasted diced tomatoes

Smokey Winter Salsa

3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce

1/2 cup onion, chopped small dice

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican if you have it

Kosher salt, to taste

In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes and chipotle peppers with sauce, to combine but still chunky.

Put the salsa in a small saucepan and add the onion and oregano.

Simmer for about 10 minutes to meld flavors, add salt if needed.

Fresh Mango Salsa

Mango salsa is so good by itself with some corn chips, over grilled chicken, or fish (like halibut). I was making it to use with the grilled chicken and putting the brakes on everyone wanting to scoop it up with tortilla chips before hand.

Mango Salsa over Grilled Chicken

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
3 Tablespoons green onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup red pepper, diced
1 small Jalapeno, finely diced (ribs and seeds removed if you want it milder)
3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
pinch of salt
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

In a bowl combine mango, green onion, red pepper, J
alapeno, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Stir well to combine. Allow to sit for all the flavors to meld. Just before serving add the avocado and stir again.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates with Chive Oil

OK, just one more post on dates. I was playing in the kitchen last week and stuffed dates with blue cheese and wrapped them in bacon and baked them for an appetizer.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates with Chive Oil

So, this is a take on a similar idea.

10 dates, pitted
1/3-1/2 cup aged blue cheese
1/3 cup chives
water
bowl of ice water
1 small garlic clove
1/2 cup olive oil

Slit the dates and stuff with blue cheese. Set aside.

Bring a medium saucepan with water to a boil and blanch the chives for about 30 seconds (they will be bright green) and immediately plunge into ice water until cooled. Drain and pat dry.
In a food processor, combine the chives with garlic; with machine running add olive oil and process until completely blended.
Strain chive oil through a sieve and discard pulp. (Note: in this photo the sieve was not small enough, so did not strain out all pulp)

Warm dates slightly and drizzle chive oil along side.

Quinoa Cakes with Tzatziki Sauce

These crispy little cakes are so versatile, different greens can be substituted for the peppers, a marinara sauce in place of the Tzatziki sauce, and the cheeses can be changed for different flavors.

Quinoa Cakes with Tzatziki Sauce

Quinoa Cakes:
2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled (I used red quinoa)
4 eggs, beaten
2 shallots, finely diced
1/3 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
1/3 cup yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup Parmesan, freshly grated or 1/3 cup feta, crumbled
1/2 cup bread crumbs, I used gluten free
1 Tablespoon olive oil

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, and eggs. Stir in shallots, chives, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, and cheese. Add bread crumbs to combine.
Using a 1/3 measuring cup, fill with quinoa mixture to form a patty, about an inch deep.
In a large, non stick skillet, over medium heat, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Place the quinoa cakes in the skillet and bake about 7-10 minutes a side, until brown and crispy. Repeat until all the cakes are cooked.
Serve topped with Tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Let the yogurt and sour cream sit in a cheesecloth lined colander for about an hour to strain.
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, sour cream, cucumber, olive oil, dill, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper, stir well and rest in fridge until ready to use.

Note: Rinse 1 cup of quinoa well and cook in 2 cups of vegetable stock or water. Simmer about 15 minutes, you will have quinoa left over.

Roasted Tomato Salsa with Sirloin Tacos

We are in the middle of football playoffs, Go Seahawks!!!  So I was perusing Fine Cooking magazine and came across this recipe. This is perfect as it can be prepared ahead of game time and served at halftime. The salsa is also great with chips on the side.
Salsa
Sirloin Steak
shredded lettuce
12-16 small corn tortillas

Roasted Tomato Salsa with Sirloin Tacos

Roasted Tomato Salsa
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
juice of 1/2 lime, plus more if needed to taste
6 medium Roma tomatoes
3 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 teaspoons kosher salt, to taste

In a small bowl, soak the onion in juice of 1/2 a lime for 15 minutes. In a dry, heavy non stick or cast iron skillet over high heat, roast the tomatoes, turning frequently about 15 minutes. Add the pepper and roast about 8-10 minutes and the garlic for 2-5 minutes. Put the roasted vegetables in the blender and pulse, mixture should remain slightly chunky.
Transfer to a serving bowl and add the onion, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Taste and add more salt or lime juice, if needed.

Rub for Steak
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed with fingers
In a small bowl combine all ingredients and mix well.

Take the dry rub and put if over both sides of 2 pound sirloin steak. Let sit for about half hour at room temperature and then grill until steak is cooked medium rare-medium. Allow steak to sit for 15 minutes before slicing thinly.
In a warm corn tortilla, place some shredded lettuce, steak slices and top with salsa. Serve.

Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Lime Crema

Shrimp tacos are pretty far from the Thanksgiving table, but a nice change of pace. This is made with ground Chipotle chile, as opposed to the canned Jalapenos in adobo sauce. But either could be used.

Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Lime Crema

1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup canola oil

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

zest of 1 lime

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon shallot, finely diced

1 Tablespoon Jalapeno, finely diced

In a bowl combine oil, lime juice, zest, cumin, chili, garlic, shallot and Jalapeno and mix well. Add shrimp and stir to coat. Let marinate 30 minutes to 4 hours.

corn tortillas

shredded cabbage

sliced avocados or guacamole

limes, quartered

Chipotle Lime Crema

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon cumin

3/4 teaspoon chipotle chili

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 teaspoon honey

salt and pepper, to taste

1-2 Tablespoons half and half, if needed 

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, cumin, chipotle chili, lime juice, cilantro, honey, and salt and pepper. Whisk in half and half, if needed to thin mixture.

Cover and chill until needed. Place in a squeeze bottle.

On a grill pan or large non stick saute pan, cook shrimp over medium-high heat, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Lightly grill corn tortillas. Take each tortilla and top with a spoonful of shrimp, some shredded cabbage, avocado slices and drizzle crema over top. 

Serve alongside limes and more cilantro.

Note: To adjust heat use more or less chipotle chili in crema. Also, some pico de gallo would be another great addition over top of taco.

Cranberry Ginger Sauce

Cranberry sauce is a traditional Thanksgiving side dish.

12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over

Cranberry Ginger Sauce

3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange zest

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the cranberries, orange juice, maple syrup, ginger, and sugar. Heat until mixture boils and cranberries begin to pop.

Remove from heat and add in orange zest.

Can be prepared several days in advance. Refrigerate until ready to serve.