Summer's Here!! Time for the beach, BBQ's, and delicious eats. Explore new flavors with some of our summertime favorites. Cheers!
Grilled Salad Nicoise with Fresh Garden Vegetables
Posted June 16, 2016
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Tuna:
2/3 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup shredded Basil leaves
Fresh ground black pepper
Two 8-9 ounce Tuna Steaks, about 1" thick
Salad:
1 pound small red or white potatoes
2 red bell peppers, seeded, trimmed, and cut into 2" chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 minced garlic clove
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
3 Heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into 1" thick slices
1 large red onion, sliced into 1" thick slices
12 thick spears asparagus, ends trimmed
1-2 heads Bibb lettuce
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup Nicoise olives
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
To prepare the Tuna: Combine olive oil, lemon juice, and basil in a shallow glass bowl. Season to taste with black pepper. Mix well and add steaks, turning several times to coat. Cover and refrigerate for one hour, turning 2-3 more times.
Prepare charcoal or gas grill. Spray the grill rack with vegetable oil spray. Coals should be hot and covered with gray ash.
To prepare Salad: Clean potatoes and 1/2 or 1/4 any that are large. Thread the potatoes onto metal skewers and lay on a baking sheet. Thread the pepper chunks on skewers and lay them on the same baking sheet. In a separate glass bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic, season to taste with salt and pepper. Generously brush the potatoes and peppers with the olive oil mix and set aside. Lay the tomatoes, onion slices, and asparagus on a baking sheet and also brush with the olive oil mix.
Grill the potatoes and peppers for 20 minutes, turning several times, until tender.
Lift the tuna steaks from the marinade, and let them come to room temperature, about 8-10 minutes. Grill the steaks for 6-7 minutes, turning once. Tuna steaks will be ready when they are just beginning to flake.
Lay the tomato and onion slices and asparagus on the grill, near edge. Grill for 6-7 minutes until softened and lightly charred.
Tear the lettuce leaves and lay out on a platter. Slice the tuna steaks and lay on top of the lettuce. Arrange the potatoes, peppers, grilled tomatoes, and onions around the tuna. Lay the asparagus over the tuna slices and garnish the platter with the cherry tomatoes and olives. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Grilled Herb Summer Corn
Posted June 16, 2016
Serves 6
Ingredients:
6 whole ears of corn
3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
1/4 cup tarragon leaves
1/4 cup sage leaves
2 tablespoons rosemary leaves
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
Prepare grill to medium high heat. Pull husks from ears of corn and discard. Chop tarragon, sage, and rosemary and add to a glass bowl along with the butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine. Rub butter mixture all over corn and wrap each ear individually in foil. Place corn on grill, turning every 5 minutes for 25 minutes. Take corn off grill, let rest for 5 minutes, and unwrap. Enjoy!
The Holidays are over, the New Year has arrived, and fresh, healthy, and delicious cuisine is always our resolution. Enjoy a few of our local favorite dishes that will leave you satisfied and ready to start 2016. Cheers!
Herb Marinated Grilled Bone-In Chicken with California Chimichurri
Posted on January 5, 2016
Serves 6
Prep Time 1 hour 30 min
Total Time 7 Hours (including brining and marinating time)
Ingredients:
Chicken:
1/2 cup sea salt
4 teaspoons pickling spice
1 white onion quartered
2 garlic cloves smashed
4 tablespoons honey
7 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (your choice)
1 cup olive oil
2 large shallots, chopped
2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
4 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
California Chimichurri:
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
For Chicken: Bring 4 cups of water, sea salt, pickling spice, onion, and smashed garlic cloves to a boil in large pot, stirring until salt dissolves. Take off of heat, add 12 cups of water and honey. Cool brine to room temperature and add chicken. Let chicken soak in brine 1 hour.
Remove chicken from brine, rinse, and discard brine. Dry chicken with paper towels and place in glass baking dish. Combine olive oil, shallots, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and garlic cloves in a food processor. Blend until mixture is finely chopped. Rub chicken with herb marinade, cover and chill at least 3 hours or overnight.
For California Chimichurri: Place all Chimichurri ingredients in a food processor. Puree until slightly smooth, but still has some texture. Season with salt and pepper, place in a bowl, and set aside.
Heat BBQ to medium. Rub excess marinade off of chicken, leaving some on the meat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and grill, covered, for about 30 minutes. (It's always helpful to have a squirt bottle filled with water nearby to douse high raising flames from the grill.) When chicken is cooked through, pull off the grill, place on a serving platter, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Spoon some of the California Chimichurri over the chicken, and serve the rest on the side.
Vegan Roasted Curried Yams
Posted on January 7, 2016
Serves 8
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 min (includes roasting time)
Ingredients:
4 large yams
2 medium shallots sliced
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder (I use Madras Curry because it's my favorite)
3/4-1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (can also use rice milk or unsweetened soy milk)
Chopped Cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and peel the yams. Cut them into 1 inch cubes and place in a mixing bowl. Toss the yams with the olive oil, sliced shallots, and 1/2 tablespoon of curry powder. Spread out the mixture evenly on a sheet pan and place in oven. Roast for 35-40 minutes.
Once yams are soft, pull the pan out of the oven. While resting, heat coconut milk in a saucepan on low heat. Place yams in a bowl and gently mash them with a fork. Keep some lumps in the yam mash to add texture. Pour in warmed coconut milk 1/2 cup at a time and 1/2 tablespoon curry powder. Mix until incorporated. Fold in half of chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate the yams and top with the rest of the chopped cilantro.
Balsamic Glazed Acorn Squash
Posted on January 10, 2016
Serves 6
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Ingredients:
2 Acorn Squash cut into 1" wedges
5 tablespoons melted butter
5 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
4 sliced shallots
10 chopped sage leaves
2 tablespoons honey
3 pinches of ground coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped Hazelnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place squash wedges in a large bowl. Toss them with melted butter, Balsamic Vinegar, shallots, sage leaves, honey, coriander, and salt and pepper. Transfer mix to a large baking dish, add 1/2 cup of water, and cover tightly with foil. Roast for 20 minutes, flip wedges to get even cooking, sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped Hazelnuts, and roast for 20 more minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve on a large beautiful platter!