Crispy Cauliflower Tacos

Crispy Cauliflower Tacos

Crispy Cauliflower Tacos

Fried Seasoned Cauliflower Florets
Roasted Hatch Chile & Roasted Corn Salsa
Shredded Cabbage, Charred Corn Tortillas, Pickled Red Onion
Cilantro, Edible Flower Petals, Baja White Sauce

Sometimes a vegetarian taco just hits the spot. Especially if it is made with crispy seasoned cauliflower and smothered in Hatch chile & corn salsa. These tacos are fantastico! They’re crispy, crunchy, fresh, spicy, herby, charred, creamy, tangy, colorful, and mighty tasty. Don’t wait ’til Taco Tuesday to give them a try!

Crispy Cauliflower Tacos

Crispy Cauliflower Tacos Recipe

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Simple Summer Swordfish

Simple Summer Swordfish

Grilled Swordfish
Creamy Tomato Cucumber Salad

How about a simple dinner that is summery, sustainable, super-easy, and super-tasty? Grilled swordfish with a creamy tomato cucumber salad fits the bill.

Grilled Swordfish

Certified sustainable wild-caught swordfish steaks from Whole Foods are excellent. The swordfish is caught in the pristine waters off the eastern shore of Nova Scotia where they work with fourth generation fishermen at a Marine Stewardship Council Certified Fishery. The fish are only caught during peak season, September through November, processed into 5 to 6 oz. portions, then frozen individually.

Place the frozen fish fillets in their packaging in an air-tight baggie. Submerge the baggie in cold water for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the fish from packaging. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Let fish come close to room temperature. Coat with olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook on the grill over medium-high heat for approximately 3 minutes per side.  The packaging says to cook to an internal temperature of 145°F, but many chefs recommend 135°F. Just be sure not to overcook the swordfish.

Creamy Tomato Cucumber Salad

The store-bought buttermilk ranch dressing from Trader Joe’s is perfectly creamy, dilly, and garlicky. No need to make the dressing from scratch when composing this easy-going summer meal!

  • cherry tomatoes – halved
  • persian cucumbers  – quartered lengthwise, then sliced bite-sized
  • red onion – thinly sliced
  • pitted kalamata olives – halved lengthwise
  • fresh dill, chopped
  • buttermilk ranch dressing
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine equal amounts of tomatoes and cucumber in a mixing bowl. Add a lesser amount of onion and olives. Sprinkle with dill. Dress liberally with buttermilk ranch dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Plate

Spoon tomato cucumber salad into shallow bowls. Top with a grilled swordfish fillet and garnish with a sprig of dill.

As Ina would say, “How easy is that?”

Update

Simple Summer Sea Bass here

Chilled Zucchini Soup with Dungeness Crab

Chilled Zucchini Soup with Dungeness Crab

Chilled Zucchini Soup
🦀 With Dungeness Crab 🦀

Zucchini is a popular and bountiful summer crop loved for its mild flavor and culinary versatility. But, unfortunately, by itself, zucchini can be a bit boring. Enter crab, Dungeness crab…with its sweet, succulent, ocean-y taste. Here, shredded crabmeat in a lemony mayonnaise mixture pairs with the silky zucchini soup for a stunning summer potage.

Chilled Zucchini Soup with Dungeness Crab

Zucchini Soup with Dungeness Crab Recipe

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Dill Pickle Soup with Homemade Pickles

Dill Pickle Soup with Homemade Pickles🥒 Dill Pickle Soup with Homemade Pickles 🥒

It seems almost everybody is skeptical when they first hear about this soup. Myself included. Dill Pickle Soup? Hmmm…

Polish in origin and dating back to a time before refrigeration when pickling was a common way to preserve food, this now trending soup is simultaneously creamy and tangy, compelling and comforting. The interesting flavor combination and various textures make for one unique bowl of deliciousness. And, yes, you can enjoy zupa ogórkowa in the summer. The Poles do.

Dill Pickle Soup with Homemade Pickles Recipe

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Loaf-Pan Focaccia and Avocado Toast

Small-Batch Focaccia and Avocado Toast

🫒 🧀 🍞 Loaf-Pan Focaccia 🍞 🧀 🫒
and
🥑 Avocado Focaccia Toasts 🥑

Small-batch focaccia dough is topped with olive salad, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and baked in a loaf pan. It is heavenly, served warm with herbaceous fruity olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar for dipping.

The leftover portion is wrapped up and saved for the next morning’s breakfast – avocado toasts served two ways, plain and loaded. Focaccia is great as a sandwich bread, and loaf-pan focaccia makes for the absolute best avocado toast!

The dough is made with five simple ingredients – bread flour, instant yeast, salt, water, and olive oil. Compared to all-purpose, the amount of protein found in bread flour is higher in order to contain and produce more gluten and achieve the desired rise in bread. Because of this higher protein level, bread flour is able to absorb more liquid, allowing it to hold its shape and rise upward. The high amount of gluten in bread flour also creates a more elastic dough, which helps achieve focaccia’s airy crumb and chewy texture. Olive oil is added to the dough for tenderness and flavor.

Loaf-Pan Focaccia and Avocado ToastSmall-Batch Focaccia and Avocado Toast

Loaf-Pan Focaccia and Avocado Toast Recipes

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