potato & mushroom tarte tatin

still lovin' me some whole foods.  yesterday, i went to a nearby natural foods store and also a local farmers' market in order to gather the necessary groceries for the week.  the two stores i visited yesterday i liked even better than the markets i went to last week.  they had a better selection overall and had a lot more local produce, dairy products and eggs!  very exciting : )

so last night - excited to use my farmers' market bounty - i improvised a vegetable tarte tatin using potatoes, mushrooms and onions.  it was simple and delicious...and looked really pretty too.  attractive food always tastes better - have you ever noticed that?

potato & mushroom tarte tatin

1/4 shallot, diced
3 small potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 vidalia onion, thinly sliced
3-4 baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 green onion
salt & pepper
olive oil

preheat oven to 400

1. spray a 10" cast iron skillet (or pan) with olive oil.
2. saute shallots until golden brown.

3. arrange the veggie over shallots in a circular fan design.

4. season with salt & pepper and spray with more olive oil.
5. snip green onion over top with cooking shears.

6. bake for 30 or so minutes until potatoes are tender and golden around edges.

we enjoyed our tarte tatin over local lettuce and topped it with chicken apple sausage, goat milk feta (from another local dairy) and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.  yummy!

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the secret to seared tuna

last night on my way home from work, i stopped at this great little fish market.  they always have beautiful fillets of the freshest fish and seafood.  we've fallen in love with their chilean sea bass, tilapia and decadent lump crab.  (see crab cake recipe here)  but, last night, their massive tuna steaks caught my eye...

despite being very comfortable in the kitchen, fish used to scare me.  it seemed difficult to cook, and i would psych myself out of buying it.  but, i've realized, since frequenting the little fish market, that the freshness and quality makes a huge difference.  their fish is sooo much better than what you'll find at the grocery store counter.

the players:

2 sushi grade tuna steaks
soy & teriyaki
grainy mustard
brown sugar
garlic
orange marmalade
vidalia onion
olive oil
(romaine & avocado)

anyway, when i got home, i marinated the tuna steaks in a bit of soy & teriyaki mixed with grainy mustard, brown sugar, garlic and orange marmalade.  not too much, but enough to flavor it.

then i sauteed some vidalia onions in a teaspoon of olive oil...and then flavored them with some soy and teriyaki as well. 

once the onions were done, i pushed them to the sides of the pan to make room for the tuna steaks.  i drizzled in a bit more olive oil and then added the tuna.  i seared the steaks for about 1 minute on each side.  they didn't need much time, because they were "sushi grade" tuna, meaning better eaten super rare.  so, DO NOT overcook high-quality tuna steaks.  it destroys their texture and flavor.  (tuna actually tastes fishier the more you cook it.  strange, but true.)

once done, i served them with shredded romaine and mashed avocado seasoned with minced garlic.  (and with skinny girl margaritas...) omg.  yum.

see, cooking fish isn't that bad after all...  plus, it's delicious & super healthy!  bonus!.

craig cooks chicken curry

the other night, craig ventured into the kitchen again.  i love cooking, so i tend to hog the kitchen, but, once again, craig impressed me with his cooking savvy.  ...must be from watching me  : )

my handsome fiance made chicken curry with chickpeas.  yum!  inspired by both his love for thai massaman curry and a men's health recipe from the march 2011 magazine.  we invited my sis, han, over to share his creation and watch 127 hours.  (and, bonus!  she arrived with some lovely desserts from a nearby caterer.)

chicken curry with chickpeas
serves 4

1 vidalia onion, sliced
1 tbsp red curry
1 tsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into tenders
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed
3 cups spinach, chopped
salt & pepper

1.       in a large pan, sauté the onion and curry powder in oil.  season with salt & pepper.  cook until onions are translucent and softened.

2.       season the cubed chicken with salt & pepper and nestle them into onions.  add chicken broth and cover pan with lid and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes.

3.       stir in yogurt and cook for 1 minute more, uncovered, then add the chickpeas and spinach.  cook until the spinach is wilted and the chickpeas are warm.

we enjoyed our chicken curry over quinoa (keen-wa), but it would also be great over couscous or rice.

no chickpeas?  no problem.  any canned bean will do, just be sure to rinse them well before cooking to eliminate excess salt.

we enjoyed some bully hill red with our meal.  smooth & slightly sweet.  this wine complemented the spicy curry fabulously.

and then, it was time for dessert.  thank you, hannie!

pb brownie, chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream & dark chocolate mousse!  oh my!

original recipe from men's health march 2011

like craig's menu?  check out his crab cake recipe {here}.  they were some of the best i've had.  seriously.

we're leaving this afternoon to head up to craig's parents' house in ny for the holiday weekend.  then we're driving back down to nj on sunday afternoon to enjoy easter dinner with my family.  should be a fun (and busy) weekend.

i hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a very happy easter!  tgif.

craig cooks crab cakes

i am the cook at our house, and i enjoy it.  cooking is one of my all-time favorite things, but believe me, i enjoy a night off too.  so, my lovely fiance is not only going to relieve me in the kitchen (once in a while) but has also agreed to let me blog about it!  (he wants ultimate recognition for his contribution : )

so, what did craig cook for us?  crab cakes!  and they were so delicious.  i honestly think he has been deliberately making me believe he can't cook in order to escape cooking duties : )  i mean, just look at the amazingness he cooked up!  it does not look like the work of a cooking novice by any means...

crab cakes

1 lb fresh lump crab meat

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp mustard

lemon

1/4 cup fresh chopped dill

1 tsp curry

1 egg

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

canola oil

salt & pepper

1. in a medium bowl combine mayo, mustard and squeeze of lemon.

2. add crabmeat, dill, curry and season with salt and pepper, stirring gently.

3. add beaten egg and 1/2 cup bread crumbs, again stirring gently to combine.

4. place remaining bread crumbs in shallow bowl.

5. in a skillet, heat 1/4 inch oil.  (oil is sufficiently heated when a drop of water makes oil sizzle.)

6. while oil heats, shape crab mixture in balls and roll in bread crumbs to coat.  once coated, press flat into cake shape.

7. place cakes in oil and cook until they are browned (3 or so minutes per side).  *keep a close eye - oil cooks quickly and spritzes.  (...craig learned the hard way when he was "attacked" by the oil...)

8. remove cakes from oil and drain on paper towel.

serve with tartar sauce or yogurt dill sauce (that's what we had) and fresh lemon.  and enjoy (of course) with your cocktail of choice!



for someone who "doesn't cook", craig made some of the best crab cakes i've enjoyed in quite a while!  well done, babe.  very well done.

and don't forget to enter for a chance to win these lovely earrings!!!  you have until monday, march 7th to enter the spiral style giveaway : )

click {here} to enter

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