Sweet Plus Savory: Sugar Snap Peas with Soy and Sesame

Greetings and salutations!  I hope you didn't think that I had forgotten you!  Somehow life just keeps getting more and more complex, but I am deep into food more than I have ever been!  I am now working part-time at Williams-Sonoma on their Culinary Team, and that has opened up a new opportunity for me to learn more about food.  In addition, I have been working with some local caterers on some television shows, so that has been very exciting.  Lastly, I have a new client that has requested low carb, high taste options for the family.  The good news?  You all get to benefit.  At the same time that all of this excitingness has taken place in my culinary life, my trusty camera died.  And a blogger is nothing without her camera!  :)  Anyway, it's high on the "to be purchased" list, so that should help increase my output to you! 

Many of you know that I am a carnivore.  Through and through.  But recently, I have backed off the flesh and am focusing on my inner vege.  With that said, I'm happy to share with you an easy preparation for sugar snap peas.  Right now, they are available in abundant supply.  Costco even has them.  You can eat the whole thing, or if you are fussy, you can string them.  You decide.  I like the expeditious approach...I eat the whole thing. 

Well, I was in a quandary about what to do with them.  I was thinking about stir-fry, but wasn't into the hassle.  Then I had an "ah-ha" moment:  Why not make THEM the stir fry.  I heated up a skillet with canola oil (or any other vegetable oil), and added the snow peas.  About a minute later I added soy sauce, a little sesame oil (a little goes a long way), a little fresh ginger and some minced garlic (you don't want to add garlic too early on high heat, because it will burn).  I tasted one, it was crunchy, yet soft (al dente, I guess) and that was my easy-breezy side dish.  Serve it with steak, grilled chicken or even pork and fish. The peas are sweet, the contrasting soy sauce is salty and savory. 


This dish is high in vitamins A, C, K, B6 and fiber.  The fiber means that it will help you feel full faster.  For those of you that follow the Glycemic Index, this dish is estimated to be extremely low on the Index.  That means it will not cause a significant spike in your blood sugar. Yummy goodness.  Enjoy! 

Pan-fried Filet of Sole with Butter and Lemons

In 2011, I have purposed to eat more fish.  These days, I never eat fish.  It's actually a very strange phenomeon.  You see, I grew up in New England.  We ate fish about once a week.  Lobster, scallops, swordfish, bluefish, clams...the typical stuff.  Although, interstingly, no shrimp.  I'm not sure what that was about.  I will have to ask my mother.

But as I matured into busy adulthood, seafood has been in my diet less and less.  I guess I would attribute it to three things.  First, my favorite preparation of seafood is simple:  lemon, butter, salt, pepper.  Done.  But as you can imagine, that can get a bit monotonous.  Second, seafood is one of those things that is best eaten fresh.  And sometimes we get busy and don't have time to prepare it that day.  So it goes bad or goes in the freezer until we throw it out 3 months later.  I also regret that I did not put extra emphhasis on seafood when I had my children.  Now, they are reluctant seafood eaters, and that pushes seafood further down the dinner list.  Well, NO MORE, I say.  in 2011, I vow to experiment with and present new (to me) recipes with seafood.  If you have any suggestions of recipes that I should make or makeover, please let me know.

This first dish is made with some of those key favorite ingredients I mention above.  It has a nice, subtle flavor and is packed with good stuff: omega 6 and 9 fatty acids (essential fatty acids.  They are called essential becuase your body can not make them for itself and HAS to get them from food), antioxidants and FLAVOR!!!!

Ingredients


•1/2 cup all-purpose flour

•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

•4 fresh sole fillets, 3 to 4 ounces each

•6 tablespoons unsalted butter

•1 tablespoon olive oil

•1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

•6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 3 lemons)

•1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

•1/4 cup rinsed capers (optional)



Directions

Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot oil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pan. Carefully put the fish filets on the ovenproof plates and pour the sauce over them. Keep the cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets. When they're done, add the cooked fillets to the plates in the oven. Sprinkle with the parsley, capers, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.

"Super" easy Salsa for the Big Game!!!!

OK, I admit it.  For most of my life, I have been lured in by those jars and plastic containers of salsa.  They're easy, pretty good for you, and, really, truly, not that bad. 

My life was changed about a week ago when I tried this salsa.  It's easy, it's fast and it's delicious!!!

There are 7 simple ingredients:  tomatoes, yellow onions, cilantro, fresh jalapeno, fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice and salt.  Salsa is packed full of anti-oxidants (beta carotene, Vitamin C, lycopene and quercetin) as well as fiber.  For those of you trivia buffs, Cilantro, also known as Chinese Parsley is called Corriander in Asian cultures. 

When you invite all your friends over for the Big Game, they don't need to know that you made it yourself, but, despite who wins or loses, they won't forget your hospitality or your salsa.  Go team!

Ingredients:

6 ripe roma tomatoes
1/2 medium yellow onion  
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 - 1 fresh serrano chile pepper or a fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded
2 tsp fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp salt, to taste

Quarter the tomatoes.  Cut the onions to a similar size as the tomatoes.  Put all ingredients in a Cuisineart or a blender and pulse until it resembles the texture you want.  Some like it chunky, some like it smoother.  Serve or store in the fridge immediately for freshness.