Watermelon and Feta Salad

In honor of a good friend's trip to DC, a group of my friends decided to have a Greek themed dinner party. It was not at my house, but I was tasked with bringing a few items to the event. One of the sides I decided to make is something I have been wanting to try out for quite some time- a watermelon, feta, and mint salad. I love watermelon and to serve it in a savory way is not anything new in the food world, but certainly new to me. It was, of course, incredibly easy to assemble and took about 15 minutes. If there wasn't already going to be a green salad at the event, I would have probably served it on a bed of arugula which is something you might want to try if you make this at home. I am sure it would be delicious with any dressing, but I chose to make a balsamic reduction which was incredibly easy. The sweetness of the watermelon, combined with the saltiness and bite of the feta cheese and olives, and the flavors of the mint and onion all blend together to make a really refreshing, complex plate. So glad that spring is finally here!

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Ingredients:
-1/4 of a whole watermelon, or a container of cubed watermelon
-1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
-1 small container of crumbled feta cheese, about 3/4 cup
-1/4 c pitted kalamata olives, drained
-1/4 c fresh, chopped mint
-fresh cracked pepper and salt, to taste
-1/4 c balsamic reduction (Boil 1 cup of balsamic vinegar until it is reduced to 1/4 cup- super easy and tasty)

Directions:
-Slice the watermelon and arrange on a platter (the one you see in the photos is an aluminum tray since I am transporting this elsewhere)
-Slice the onion into thin, long half circle slices. Sprinkle on top of the watermelon.
-Sprinkle the container of feta or about 3/4 cup on top of the onions, followed by the olives and mint.
-Give a good sprinkling of pepper and a little bit of salt to the dish.
-Drizzle the balsamic over everything and serve.

Chilean Sea Bass over Angel Hair

Last summer, I had so much basil in my garden that I needed to use some before it took over everything else. I also couldn't decide if I was in the mood for fish or pasta, so I came up with a recipe that included a filet of chilean sea bass poached in a mediterranean style tomato sauce with white wine, onions, garlic, and olives. At the end, I tossed in some fresh asparagus that I had in the fridge which was a great addition and a nice way to slide an extra serving of veggies into the meal. I made this again last Sunday night and it turned out to be just as good as I remembered! I served it with the ciabatta toasts that I made for my mediterranean halibut salad recipe and it was absolutely perfect- light, flavorful, healthy, delicious. Cannot wait to make this again and hope you all try it! Also- if you want to be fancy or are serving this for guests, save some fresh chopped basil to sprinkle on top at the end as a garnish. This made 3-4 servings; if you are cooking for more people, then you will want to adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:

-3 tbs olive oil

-1 white or yellow onion, chopped

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-4 ripe roma tomatoes (or 1 small can of diced tomatoes), diced (roma tomatoes are the oval shaped tomatoes that are about the size of your fist)

-1 tbs red pepper flakes

-1 cup white wine (I used a white burgundy but only because I wanted to drink it. Any good white wine is fine)

-zest of 1/2-1 lemon (grated rind)

-1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives (I chopped them in half but you can leave them whole if you'd like. Sometimes I leave them whole but this time I was about to run out and didn't want to open a new jar so they got chopped)

-1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces

-1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

-1 tsp salt (to taste), plus more for the pasta water

-1 12-oz chilean sea bass filet (ask the fishmonger for one from the middle if you can)

-1/2 box angel hair pasta

Directions:

-Salt and Pepper the fish filet. Set aside. Put a pot of water on the stove for the pasta (add  about 3tbs salt). Preheat the oven to 375 if you are making the ciabatta toasts.

-Saute the onions in the olive oil until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Use a saucepan that has a lid so that you can cook the fish in the sauce with the lid on.

-Add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.

-Add the white wine and bring to a simmer to cook off the alcohol.

-Add the lemon zest, olives and the asparagus. Cook for about 5 minutes until the asparagus is cooked but still has a little crunch.

-Add salt to taste, if the sauce needs it.

-Place the seasoned fish filet in the pot and cover with some of the sauce. Put the lid on and cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until the fish flakes apart (chilean sea bass is a pretty sturdy fish so you might have to cut off a piece to make sure it is cooked).

-While the fish is cooking: cook the pasta according to the directions on the box and put your toasts in the oven.

-Right before serving, add the fresh chopped basil to the sauce and mix it in.

-Serve a piece of fish with a couple of scoops of sauce over a serving of angel hair pasta, with a ciabatta toast on the side. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Halibut- Three Ways

A few days ago, I watched a cooking show where the person made this delicious looking recipe of a halibut salad sandwich. I couldn't stop thinking about it and wondered what it tasted like, so I decided to try it out today. I was literally blown away- it was amazing! And so, so versatile. Halibut is a really easy fish to cook. I even bought frozen filets since WF was out of fresh, and could not have been more thrilled with how they turned out. While I did make the halibut filet into a fish salad sandwich which I ate for lunch, I will also serve it as a salad with greens and toasted french bread (which can also be a great appetizer), or serve the filet with the salad base on top of it for dinner. It was light, full of flavor, and totally different from what I usually make/serve. Also would be perfect to serve for a small luncheon- just double or triple the recipe. 1 filet mixed with the base will serve 2-3. Hope you enjoy this easy one as much as I do!

Halibut

Ingredients:
-1 halibut filet (2 if you are serving as a main course and not as a salad)
-1 tsp olive oil
-salt and pepper

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375.
-Drizzle olive oil on filet
-Sprinkle with salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp of each, total)
-Bake for about 15 minutes, or until fish flakes apart easily. Set aside.

Halibut Salad Base

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped as finely as you can
-1 tbs capers, drained
-1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
-1 tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
-zest of 1/2 lemon and 1 tsp of lemon juice
-1-2 tbs mayonnaise (if you don't like mayonnaise or are making this as a topping for the halibut filets, feel free to substitute with 2-3 tsp olive oil or vinaigrette dressing)
-salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
-Mix above ingredients together. Set aside.

Ciabatta or French Bread Toasts

Ingredients:
-Ciabatta Bread or French Bread
-1 tbs olive oil
-1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in 1/2

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350.
-Slice a piece of bread off of the loaf, cut in half lengthwise.
-Drizzle with olive oil.
-Bake for 5 minutes until bread is slightly crispy but not brown.
-Rub garlic clove on the bread to give it a little garlic flavor.

Halibut Salad Sandwich and Salad Plate Assembly

Ingredients:
-Baked halibut filet
-1/2 cup arugula
-2 pieces of ciabatta or french bread toast
-sliced tomatoes and fresh chopped basil as a garnish, optional

Directions:
-With two forks, flake apart the halibut and add it to the salad base. Mix together.
-For a sandwich: place arugula on the bread toasts, top with a scoop of halibut salad, top with the other piece of toast. Serve.
-For the salad plate: place arugula on plate, top with a scoop of halibut salad, drizzle with 1/2-1 tsp of olive oil, place a lemon slice or wedge on the plate, serve with the toast on the side.
-If you would like to make each plate look complete, you can add 2 or 3 fresh tomato slices with a little bit of fresh chopped or dried basil (use less if you are using dried) and some olive oil, salt and pepper on top.

Sandwich Assembly

 Salad Plate Assembly

Halibut Filet topped with Mediterranean Salad Base

Ingredients:
-1 cooked halibut filet
-salad base

Directions:
-Place halibut on plate and put a scoop of the salad base on top of the fish. Serve with a lemon wedge. You can also serve this atop a bed of arugula to make a complete meal.

Chili

When I talked to my sister Cathryn at 830 this morning, big, beautiful snowflakes were falling and we decided to camp out at my house and sit by the fire and make a real snow day out of it. Unfortunately/fortunately as most of you now know, we are celebrating a rain day instead, but it was a great excuse to get some work done from home and make a big pot of chili. It didn't take long to make, and is going to be perfect for dinner (although we have been snacking on it all day long with tortilla chips). The recipe will turn out well even if a few of the measurements are not exact, so feel free to tweak the seasonings etc to your personal taste.

Ingredients:

-2 chopped white or yellow onions
-2 tbs olive oil
-1 lb ground beef
-3 Italian sausage links, squeeze meat out of the casing
-1 small can tomato paste
-1/4 cup dijon mustard
-1/2 cup burgundy wine (pinot noir or bourgogne)
-1 tsp garlic
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp ground black pepper
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1tsp dried basil
-2-3 tbs chili powder
-2 tbs cumin
-2 large cans diced tomatoes, juice drained

-1 large can of red kidney beans

-2 tbs fresh chopped dill

-2 tbs fresh chopped cilantro

-2 tbs fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

-1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives (optional if you hate olives, but they add a really nice flavor)

-sour cream for garnish

-grated cheddar cheese for garnish

-chopped scallions for garnish

-tortilla chips for garnish

Directions:

-Heat olive oil in a large pot. Saute onions until tender.

-Add meat and saute until it is cooked through, using your wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces.

-Add tomato paste, mustard, wine, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, chili powder, and cumin.

-Add tomatoes and kidney beans.

-Add chopped fresh dill, cilantro, and parsley. Cook on medium/low for about 30 minutes. 

-Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

-Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of chopped scallions, and tortilla chips on the side.

Pork Tenderloin or Pan Fried Pork Chop with Maque Choux and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

It is still Mardi Gras week. So I wanted to make another very typical New Orleans dish, Corn Maque Choux. For those of you who have never eaten at a New Orleans restaurant, this is a side dish that consists of corn cooked with peppers and onions and Louisiana spices and then finished with a little bit of cream. It is a much snazzier take on regular corn, and very tasty. It happens to go really well with pork, and then I added another side of mashed sweet potatoes to complete the meal. I made this with both a pork tenderloin and a pork chop, but the best by far was the chop. It was one of those moments where you take a bite and literally say "holy shit that is delicious!" I hope you like all of these as much as we did. Start by making the cajun spice mix below- it keeps forever and I use it often. Every one of these recipes has some in it, and you'll be surprised at its versatility.

Cajun Spice Mix

Mix together the following in a jar:

-5 tbs paprika

-1 tbs ground black pepper

-1 tbs ground white pepper

-1 tbs cayenne pepper

-1 tbs dried thyme

-2 tbs garlic powder

-1 tbs dried oregano

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp chile powder

-1 tsp onion powder

Pork Chops/ Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

-2-3 pork chops or 1 pork tenderloin

-1 tablespoon cajun spice

-1 tablespoon brown sugar

-3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400.

-Rub 1 tbs of olive oil on the pork chops or tenderloin.

-Mix the brown sugar and spice mix together. Rub into the meat.

-If you are making tenderloin, bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until the pork reaches a temp of at least 170 degrees. If you are making pork chops, heat 2 tbs olive oil in a skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Then transfer to oven for about 5 minutes until pork is 165-170 degrees.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

-2 sweet potatoes or yams

-2 tbs butter

-1 tbs brown sugar

-1 tbs cajun spice mix

Directions:

-Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 2 inch cubes. Boil for 15 min or until potatoes are soft.

-Drain potatoes and mash with the butter, brown sugar, and spice mix.

Corn Maque Choux

Ingredients:

-2 tbs butter

-2 cans of corn, or 2 cups fresh

-1 bell pepper (any color you prefer- I like orange/red), chopped

-1 yellow onion, chopped

-1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced

-2 tbs cajun spice mix

-1/4 cup heavy cream

-salt to taste

Directions:

-Melt butter in a saucepan.

-Add corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, and spice mix and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

-Add cream and cook for another 3-5 minutes. 

-Salt to taste and serve.

NOLA Red Beans and Rice

In honor of Mardi Gras next Tuesday, here is the most quintessential New Orleans recipe: Red Beans and Rice! You might not be able to count on the electricity in New Orleans, but the one sure thing down there is that every Monday, come hell or high water, red beans and rice will be on every menu, in every cafeteria, and in every kitchen. This has been one of my favorite dishes since I was little- my dad used to make it for us and I still use his authentic recipe. The beans should, ideally, soak overnight to soften, although I boiled them for about 15 minutes and then threw them in the pot and they were ok. If you are on a time crunch, feel free to substitute dried red beans for a couple cans of rinsed red beans. Also- the dried red beans take about 4 hours to cook (if you have longer, that's better), so you should probably make this on a weekend when you have time to wait. You can also make this on a workday in a slow cooker with the canned beans and it will be just as good. This dish is really, really resilient and even the most terrible cooks should have a hard time screwing it up. It always tastes delicious. Note: this also freezes really well, so I like to freeze leftover 2 serving portions and have it a couple of weeks later. Another note from my sorority sister and good friend Olivia: make sure you smash some beans against the side of the pot to thicken the whole mixture!

Ingredients:

-1 lb of red kidney beans
-1 onion, chopped
-1green bell pepper, chopped
-3 ribs of celery, chopped
-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
-2 bay leaves
-1 ham steak or hambone with some meat left on it
-1/2 stick butter
-2 tsp worcestershire sauce
-Louisiana hot sauce to taste
-white rice

Directions:

-Soak the beans overnight to soften. Drain and put in a large soup pot.
-Add the onion, pepper, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and ham. Fill the pot with water, making sure the ingredients are covered.
-Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 2-3 hours, uncovered, until beans are almost soft. Continue to add more water as it evaporates (I usually add 4-6 cups throughout cooking). You should stir every so often to make sure the beans don't stick to the bottom of the pot, but I usually leave the pot on low for prolonged periods of time if I need to run an errand or leave the house. Again, these are really tough to screw up so you don't need to babysit them like you would a normal meal.
-Remove the meat from the pot and trim the fat. Cut the meat off of the bone into little pieces (1/2 inch or smaller) and put back into the pot.
-Add butter, worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce, to taste. Cook for another hour until mixture is creamy and beans are soft.
-Cook rice according to instructions on bag.
-Serve beans over rice with french bread or cornbread.

Here is what the progression of cooking looks like, as the beans get soft and everything blends together: