Simple Musings

5/28/2015

Tuscan Herb Pasta. Hold the Pasta?

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Fresh flavor is always a key to making great food. Simple and fresh every time. When I get an idea in creating a dish I stop and think what fresh, local flavors I can get to put into it. I do suggest, if you do not have a farm stand or a local farm market, purchase as much fresh produce from your local grocery store. Food DOES taste better if prepared from scratch.

This recipe has a great rustic flavor with a nice twist. Instead of using pasta I created some vegetable pasta with zucchini and summer squash. A perfect change up that is healthier, tastes amazing, feeds you/your family awesome vegetables, and is truly easy to make. To create the zucchini and summer squash into the size of pasta, use a mandolin with the Julienne Blade. This is a great tool to make uniform cuts and save time.

Some people, okay...the older ladies as church or on the street or at my kids school or or or... anyway, they ask why I use lemon juice or vinegar in so many of my recipes? Well, it helps cut down on the amount of salt I use in a recipe while adding some incredible Zing to the food. The acid in vinegar and lemon juice help pull out the flavors in the food they interact with. So, that means if you taste something and you think you need even more salt, add some acidity to the dish. Add a little before each taste to see if that fixes the issue. Alright, enjoy the recipe!

Chicken
1 lb chicken breasts
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TB soy sauce
1 TB Maple Syrup

Directions:
Heat grill, add salt, pepper, and rosemary over chicken breasts. Mix in a small bowl the soy and maple syrup. Place chicken on grill, coat bottom of chicken with soy sauce maple glaze. After you flip the chicken, top that side with rest of maple glaze. Keep cooking until it reaches 165 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes, slice thin.

Tuscan "Pasta"
2 cloves garlic sliced thin
1 Green onion sliced thin (white and green parts)
1/4 cup sliced thin sun dried tomatoes
4 asparagus spears sliced thin on an angle
1 zucchini sliced thin on a mandoline
1 summer squash sliced thin on a mandoline
1 TB olive oil
2 TB basil sliced thin (chiffonade or ribbons)
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 TB Epicurean Tuscan Herb Butter
1/2 tsp each of Salt and Pepper

Directions: Heat olive oil at medium high heat in a saute pan with a lid. Add garlic and green onion. Cook for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and sun dried tomatoes. Stir and cook for 4 minutes. Add Zucchini and Summer Squash "pasta" and stir for 1 minute. Add stock and cover for 4 minutes. Remove lid, add lemon juice, salt, pepper and basil. Mix, add butter and mix throughly. Serve with Parmesan or Asiago cheese.

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5/21/2015

Sweet, Savory, AWESOME Vegetable Hash

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I love Spring. It is like Christmas for a chef because fresh, local ingredients start to blossom and the farm markets begin to open up with a beautiful bounty.

Asparagus is the key introduction to what will be months of colorful flavor to be displayed on tables all over this country. The recipe I will be providing below started percolating in my mind like an old coffee pot. I looked at the beautiful Asparagus from West Michigan Farm Link. Crisp, green, smelling of Spring. What really got my brain bubbling with excitement.....some FRESH Duck Eggs! I LOVE Duck eggs. Rich flavor that I use to make mayonnaise or just fry up while leaving the yolk extra runny. The mental cylinders started churning and I settled on adding parsnips and sweet potatoes. The final piece to complete this puzzle....something to add some richness to this hash.....Epicurean Butter. I looked through my stash and stopped at a great choice. The Caramel Sea Salt butter! With that figured out, I created what you can enjoy yourselves. An incredible Sweet and Savory Vegetable Hash.

Vegetable Hash
1/2 cup diced Parsnips
1 cup diced Sweet Potatoes
1/2 cup diced Onions
1/2 cup Diced Green Peppers
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
6-7 Stalks Asparagus Sliced Thin on a bias
1 TB Copped Fresh Dill
1 tsp crushed Pickling Spice
1 1/2 TB Caramel Sea Salt Butter
3 Eggs fried (Chicken, Duck, if using Ostrich, 1 Egg)
2 TB Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
2 Tsp fresh dill, not chopped (optional)
1 tsp fresh sliced chive (optional)

Directions: Heat Oil in a saute pan or cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Add Onion and bell peppers. Stir and cook until they begin to brown. Add Parsnips and Sweet potatoes. Stir and cook for 5 plus minutes until vegetables are cooked through.

Add garlic, dill, pickling spice and dill. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add butter and stir until melted. Plate up hash and top with egg. Garnish with fresh dill and chives.

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5/11/2015

Tilapia.....Make it a Star on your Plate!

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Tilapia is a great fish with no flavor. What? I say this is a good thing due to the fact you can season it the way you want without compromising your plan. I consider Tilapia the true chicken of the sea. Sorry Tuna...but it's true. Using Beer and butter make this dish so appealing to me. Hops, malt, butter...It truly is a delight. I always like to remind people....cook with what you drink. If you don't drink a macro lite beer, do not cook with it! Enjoy the recipe below!

Tilapia
4 Tilapia Fillets
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
Oil
1/2 bottle of beer
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp Honey
2 TB Tomato Chipotle Butter

Directions: Heat saute pan to medium high, add 2 TB vegetable oil. Coat tilapia with flour, tap off excess, divide salt, pepper and chili powder and add to 4 fillets of tilapia, Place face down and cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Finish cooking for 2 minutes, remove from heat.

Add beer, garlic and honey to pan. Scrape up bits of tilapia left behind in pan. Cook until reduces by half. Add butter and stir until incorporated. Place tilapia on plate with corn stir fry, top tilapia with beer butter sauce and serve.

Corn Stir Fry
1 ear of corn, remove corn from ear
1 Zucchini diced small
1 Red bell pepper diced small
3 Cloves of garlic sliced thin
1 TB Olive Oil
2 TB chives sliced thin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 lemon
1 TB Lemon Pepper Butter

Directions: Heat oil in pan at medium high. Once hot and oil is shimmering, add vegetables and garlic. Stir often. Saute for 5 minutes, add juice of 1/2 lemon, salt, pepper, chives and Lemon Pepper Butter. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat and serve.

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Simple Musings

Tuscan Herb Pasta. Hold the Pasta?

Sweet, Savory, AWESOME Vegetable Hash

Tilapia.....Make it a Star on your Plate!

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