Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Servings 24

1 1/3 cups sweet rice flour
1/2 cup sweet tapioca flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest from one lemon
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
2 eggs yolks

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In small bowl, whisk together white rice flour, sweet rice flour, arrowroot, salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, egg, zest and extracts together, on medium-low speed, until a thick paste forms, about 30 seconds.

Shut off stand mixer. Add dry ingredients. Turn on mixer and mix until dough forms, about three minutes.

Pick up about a golf ball sized amount of dough, it will be very sandy feeling, press the bajeezus out of it in your hand to form a solid ball, then press onto cookie sheet until about a little less than ½ inch thick. You can press the edges together or leave them as they spread out. Using a fork, make holes in the cookies as decoration. It also adds crispness.

Bake until cookies are lightly golden brown on the edges and aromatic, about 30 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for five minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat using remaining dough.

Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Nobu’s Miso-Marinated Tuna

I found Nobu’s recipe for  Miso-Marinated Black Cod and made it with Tuna.

SERVES 4

1/4 cup

sake

1/4 cup

mirin

4 tablespoons

white miso paste

3 tablespoons sugar

4 – 6 ounce tuna  

Two to 3 days beforehand, make the miso marinade and marinate the fish. Bring the sake and mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol. Turn the heat down to low, add the miso paste, and whisk. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, whisking constantly to ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Pat the fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with the miso marinade and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

To cook the fish: Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat an oven-proof skillet over high heat on the stovetop. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets, but don’t rinse it off. Film the pan with a little oil, then place the fish skin-side-up on the pan and cook until the bottom of the fish browns and blackens in spots, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Hearts of Palm and Avocado Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

mhoenig – Own work

                     
  Hearts of Palm and Avocado Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

serves 4

1/3      cup  lime juice
1/2      cup  olive oil
1/4       cup  white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

1/2        clove  garlic — crushed
1           pinch  salt
1           tiny pinch    red pepper flakes
2           cans  Hearts of Palm , salad cut

2           ripe California avocados
1           head  butter lettuce
1           medium  red onion — thin rings

1)  combine first 5 ingredients together in blender for dressing. let sit for about 20 min.

2) Tear lettuces in bite size pieces. combine with the rest of the ingredients. Toss with salad dressing. Serve immediately

Pineapple Vanilla Salmon

Pineapple Vanilla Salmon

4 salmon filets, about 6 ounces each, skin on
Salt & pepper to taste
olive oil
One whole pineapple
Grilled pineapple slices (recipe below)
Pineapple glaze (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season salmon with salt & pepper, place skin side down on lightly oiled foil lined dish. Brush with pineapple glaze and bake for 10 to 15 minutes (or until desired doneness) brushing them with pineapple glaze every 4 minutes while baking.

Pineapple Glaze

Pineapple skin cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces (yup, the bumpy stuff you cut off to get to the fruit)
½ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean cut in half with seeds scraped out

Put pineapple skin, sugar and vanilla bean and seed scrapings into a pan with enough water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer until you have a syrupy consistency. Strain out pineapple skin and vanilla. Set aside to cool. This versatile sauce may be frozen and could be used to flavor chicken, other kinds of fish or even vegetables before grilling.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Serving Size  : 40  

1 1/8         cups  all-purpose flour
1/4           teaspoon  baking powder
1/8          teaspoon  salt
2              large  eggs
1/2           cup  sugar
3              tablespoons  brewed espresso
1              teaspoon  vanilla extract
4             tablespoons  unsalted butter
4             ounces  extra-bittersweet chocolate — chopped
1 5/8      ounces  unsweetened chocolate — chopped
5/8          cup  mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, briefly whip the eggs to break them up. Add the sugar, espresso, and vanilla and beat on high speed for 10 minutes, until thick.

Meanwhile, place the butter in the top of a double boiler,and scatter the extra-bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate on top. Heat until the butter and chocolate melt. Remove from heat and stir the chocolate and butter until smooth.

Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until partially combined (there should still be some streaks). Add the flour mixture to the batter and carefully fold it in. Fold in the chocolate chips.Chill the batter in the freezer for a half hour.

Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonful’s onto the baking sheets and bake until puffed and cracked, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before removing from the baking sheets.

Easy Thai Style Salmon

2 8-ounce  salmon fillets, skin on or off
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
2 – 3 tbsp green onions, chopped
Toasted sesame oil
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce;
1 cup plus 4 tablespoon water, divided
2 tablespoons arrowroot
3 medium cloves of garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Fresno, red Thai chilies, or red jalapeño peppers seeds left in for a hotter sauce)
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup rice vinegar.
2 teaspoons Coconut Amino Acids

Thai Salmon

Make Chili Sauce;

Bring all ingredients, except 4 Tablespoons water and arrowroot, to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes and then combine 4 T. room temperature water and arrowroot . Stir well and then stir into simmering liquid, stir until liquid simmers.

In a large baking dish, lay down salmon fillets in a row. Each fillet – sprinkle with a pinch of salt and top with 1 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce. Brush or rub with your fingers to coat fish with sauce evenly on top, bottom and sides. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight is the best (up to 24 hours).

Turn on oven’s broiler on High and position top oven rack 5″ – 6″ below the heat source. Line large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or silicone mat, spray with cooking spray and place salmon fillets skin side down (if any). Coat with remaining marinade from the dish (if any).

Broil for 6 minutes, rotating baking sheet once. Remove from the oven and brush top of each fillet with 2 tsp of Thai sweet chili sauce. Return to the oven and broil for another 2 minutes or until salmon has caramelized. Serve hot garnished with green onions, extra sauce.

Awesome Nappa Cabbage Salad

Photo by Alice Pasqual on Unsplash

I’ve never cared for cooked Nappa cabbage, although I use it in cole slaw and Spring rolls.  This salad is awesome and the cabbage is softened a bit by salting and rubbing it.  It’s a great combination of textures and tastes.

Rubbing the cabbage with salt not only seasons it, but also softens the leaves. Pistachios tossed with orange zest and sugar bring an unexpected floral note to the dish. This recipe is from Drifters Wife in Portland, ME.

1 28-oz. Napa cabbage, tough outer leaves removed, halved, leaves torn into 3″–4″ pieces
1½ tsp. flaky sea salt, plus more
½ cup coarsely chopped raw pistachios
1 tsp. plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; plus more for drizzling
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more
1 sprig thyme or use dried powdered thyme
½ tsp. finely grated orange zest
½ tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. honey, preferably wildflower
1 cup parsley leaves with tender stems
1 Tbsp. thinly sliced chives
3 oz. Parmesan, shaved, plus more for serving- I use Soy Parmesan

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1½ tsp. salt. Toss, massaging with your hands, to soften a bit; set aside.

• Toss pistachios and 1 tsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add thyme, orange zest, and sugar and toss to combine. Let cool; discard thyme sprigs.

• Whisk vinegar, honey, and ½ tsp. pepper in a small bowl to combine; season with a pinch of salt. Drizzle over cabbage and add parsley, chives, 3 oz. Parmesan, ¼ cup pistachios, and 2 Tbsp. oil. Toss to combine, then taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

• Transfer cabbage salad to a platter and top with more Parmesan and remaining pistachios. Season with pepper and drizzle with some more oil.

Bloody Mary Soup with Bacon, Shrimp and Crab

6 ripe tomatoes OR large can of diced tomatoes
4 large red bell peppers, seeded
2 large green bell pepper, seeded
2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
3 celery, strings removed
1 small clove garlic
1 small red onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 2 limes, or to taste
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce, to taste
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish, or to taste
1/2 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1/2 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and shelled
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp

1. Blanch tomatoes, remove skins, squeeze out seeds and dice. Or use canned tomatoes.

2. Cut vegetables, garlic, and onion into large chunks, and puree in batches in a blender or food processor, adding some of the olive oil to each batch.

3. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl to remove skins and seeds.

4. Bake bacon in oven on parchment paper, crumble for garnish.

5. Boil shrimp until pink, drain, cool.

6. Add lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

7. Place soup in bowl, add crab, shrimp and top with bacon.

Caribbean Mango Coleslaw

I made this last week for the clients and I am now SO addicted!  I always have a batch of some kind of Cole Slaw as it is a great salad and prebiotic. Actually I should say I always have Pressed Salad.  I prep my veggies and then put them in a salad press for 5 or 6 hours. It removes a good bit of the moisture and allows the dressing to not get watered down.

• 3 cups cabbage, sliced thin
• 2 cups red cabbage, sliced thin
• 1 ripe mango, diced
• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced very small
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1 cup carrot, shredded
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
• 4 tablespoons fresh mayo
• 1 teaspoons Caribbean hot sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

1. Using a food processor slice the cabbages very thin. Grate carrot and dice onions. Place in salad press. Or place food in colander and cover with a plate, then add weights. (I use about 4 iron skillets and a Dutch oven because I make it in large amounts!)  With either method salt the veggies to help pull liquid out of the veggies.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, lime juice, mayo, spices and hot sauce until combined.
3. In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, mango, jalapeño, carrot, garlic and  then drizzle mustard dressing on top.
4. When ready to serve, add cilantro and toss everything together.
5. Serve and enjoy!