Homemade pizza

Pizza with parsley pesto, asparagus, red onion and goat cheese

Taking the time to make a homemade pizza vs. baking a frozen, pre-packaged pizza is well worth the effort in that it tastes much better, the ingredients are more fresh, and the person making it has complete control over what goes on it. Ingredients can be anything that's on hand, which is a refreshing change from the typical red sauce, sausage, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.

with zucchini, onion and feta

Although it is beneficial to make a homemade dough from scratch, it is not quite time efficient. There are a variety of great dough mixes on the market these days, and if you're in a crunch and can't find the time to whip up your own dough they can come in handy. If you do have enough time on hand though, and would like to make your own dough from scratch I highly recommend doing so!

with sweet sausage, bleu cheese, mushrooms and walnuts, garnished with fresh pea shoots and manchego cheese

Potato Gnocchi

Potato gnocchi is a thick Italian dumpling made most basically of mashed potatoes, eggs and flour. They are also called the "little knuckles" of pasta since they are usually pressed lightly with a fork after cutting from a log to form knuckle-like indentations into the dough.

Gnocchi are very versatile with a variety of sauces. Personally, I prefer a lighter sauce with gnocchi since they seem to be a heavier dish.


Following is the basic recipe for potato gnocchi. Suggested sauces include marinara, pesto or a browned butter sauce. Gnocchi is delicious with any type of sauce, but it's good to find a balance between the heaviness of the dumplings and the texture of the sauce.


Potato Gnocchi:


3 lbs russet potatoes
2 C. flour
1 large egg
pinch salt


1. Boil potatoes until soft. While still hot, carefully peel and pass through potato ricer or mash until no lumps are visible.


2. Place mashed potatoes onto a cutting board and create a well in the center. Place flour, egg and salt in the well and mix potatoes into the center until all ingredients are incorporated.

3. Knead the dough until somewhat dry, then roll into a log. Cut off small pieces, about 3/4 inch in size. Gently roll each "dumpling" along the tines of a fork so that it is slightly indented with the shape. Repeat with all of the dough.


4. Bring about 6 quarts of water to a boil (you may add a pinch of salt). When boiling, add the gnocchi and boil 4-6 minutes, or until all gnocchi begin to float. Drain and continue with your choice of serving method.




What I made for dinner using gnocchi:











Above: Gnocchi in browned butter with mushrooms, nutmeg and cinnamon with a garnish of candied bacon, accompanied by fresh red pear slices.

Flank Steak

Flank steak is an under appreciated cut of beef that comes from the abdominal region of the cow.

Large and fairly flat, flank steak can seem difficult to work with at times. If not prepared properly, it will turn out tough. The best method of preparing flank steak is marinating the steak first. I suggest scoring the meat by poking holes into it with a knife or fork before placing in the marinade.

Tonight I prepared flank steak in a basic white wine marinade and it turned out quite well. I created the marinade using ingredients I had on hand- wine, oil, shallots. Be creative and see what you come up with , but remember that an acidic component is necessary in the marinade in order for the meat to become tender.

Basic white wine marinade:

1/2 C. acidic white wine

1/4 C. olive oil

2 TB shallots, minced

2 TB garlic, minced

1 TB meat tenderizer

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

pinch of salt, few grinds of fresh black pepper

Combine all ingredients together in a bag or shallow dish. Combine well and add steak to marinate. Marinade for at least 1 hour.

Above: Marinated flank steak garnished with a shallot-parsley salsa, served with roasted garlic rosemary mashed potatoes & parmesan and shrimp stuffed baby portabellas

Eating a Meatless Meal

Even if you are not a vegetarian it can be very beneficial to your body, your wallet and the environment to eat a vegetarian meal at least once a week. Eating a meal with a wide range of vegetables ensures that you are getting a variety of important nutrients. The more colorful your meal, the more vitamins there are. Also, eating vegetarian for a meal or two a week saves money since vegetables are quite a bit cheaper than good cuts of meat. You can get a decent amount of a variety of vegetables for the price of one ribeye steak, certainly enough to use for more than one meal. Eating vegetarian for a meal or two a week is also better on the environment than basing every meal around meat. A massive amount of power and resources is spent in the production and processing of meats, from raising the animals to their slaughter, to their packaging and shipment to you at home where you spend additional power and resources preparing and cooking them. It can be much more beneficial to our ecosystem to purchase fresh produce locally to create a delicious meal at home.

When many people think of a vegetarian meal, bland salads and steamed vegetables come to mind. Trust me, vegetarian cooking is not only limited to boring, tasteless foods! As someone who enjoys cooking vegetarian for at least 3 meals a week, I have never eaten a boring vegetarian meal. Here is just one example of a great vegetarian meal that is simple enough for you to make for yourself at home. It includes a main dish of stuffed portabellos, with a summery side of spicy jicama salad.

Stuffed Portobellos and jicama salad, shown here with mixed mushrooms in mushroom-miso broth

Marinated Portabello Mushrooms with Couscous Chevre and Veg Stuffing

For the Marinade:

2 C red wine

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 C olive oil

1/4 C cider vinegar

salt and pepper

Brush off, de-stem and de-gill 4 large portabello mushroom caps. In a large shallow dish, combine marinade ingredients. Add mushroom caps to the marinade up to 1 hour before baking, cap side down. Periodically flip to marinate all sides.

Stuffing:

1 C cooked coucous

2 sundried tomatoes, chopped

6-8 black olives, chopped

1/2 C sauteed spinach

1/2 small zucchini, diced

1/2 log goat cheese (chevre)

4 TB pinenuts

salt and fresh pepper to taste

1. While mushroom caps marinate, combine all ingredients except for the pinenuts in a large bowl. Combine well, lightly mashing the goat cheese into the rest of the ingredients with the back of a spoon.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. When the mushroom caps are ready to be stuffed, place on a ridged baking pan and lightly salt on the inside. Fill each mushroom with 1/4 of the mixture pressing lightly into the caps to ensure that none falls out. Press 1 TB of pinenuts very lightly into the top of each mushroom.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until mushrooms look slightly wrinkled and the pinenuts are golden. Serve with your choice of a side.

Spicy Jicama Salad

1 small-medium jicama, peeled and cubed

Juice of 1 small lime

3 TB olive oil

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

salt, to taste

1/8 C any fresh herb- some ideas include mint, parsley or cilantro

4 TB feta cheese, crumbled

Place jicama chunks into a medium bowl. Toss with the lime juice and olive oil. Add the seasonings and toss well. Top with the crumbled feta and torn herb leaves. Chill and serve, or serve at room temperature.

Crusting with Nuts

Crusting with nuts is an easy, interesting way to add texture and flavor to any meat. A nut crust can be used for any type of meat, however I have found that I prefer it on fish. It adds a nice crunch and complements the fish well.

Above: Pistachio-crusted Rainbow Trout with Leek and Portobello Risotto

All nut crusts are composed of crushed nuts of your choice, sometimes a few different types of nuts, and the seasonings of your choice. If you would like a smooth, uniform nut crust, you may mix breadcrumbs with the crushed nuts, but if you prefer more of a rustic nut crust, you may omit any breadcrumbs.

In order for the nut crust to stick to the meat while cooking, an egg wash is necessary. Scramble 1-2 eggs in a shallow bowl and dip the meat into it before dredging it in the nut mixture. After that, the cooking method is up to you- pan frying or baking work good.

Shrimp and Avocado, another perfect pair

I've become a dedicated fan of avocado lately, using it in salsas, salads and soups, and enjoying it more each time I have it. My latest use of avocado was a spicy shrimp-salad stuffed avocado on a bed of lettuce and cucumber. Here's the recipe:

Avocados Stuffed with Spicy Shrimp Salad

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

1/4 C. cooked shrimp, chopped

1 TB finely diced red onion

1 tsp lime juice

1 TB mayonnaise

dash seasoning salt

dash cayenne pepper, to taste

a few leaves cilantro, if desired

1. Mix all ingredients except the avocado and cilantro in a medium bowl.

2.Slice avocados in half and carefully remove from shell and place on a bed of lettuce.

3.Stuff avocado halves with shrimp salad mixture. Garnish with cilantro and a dash of cayenne, if desired. Can be served with a light dressing, such as a cilantro-lime or chili-lime vinaigrette.

Miso Salmon

Miso is a thick paste made from fermented soybeans and can be used in anything from sauces and spreads to soups. It has a pleasantly salty flavor, but is low in sodium. It is applauded as being a health food that is high in protein and known to increase digestive health due to it containing natural digestive enzymes, Lactobacillus, that kill off harmful microorganisms.

The most common recipe that miso is used for is miso soup, made by stirring a TB. or so of miso paste into hot dashi, a fish broth that is made by dissolving bonito flakes (dried tuna flakes) in water. Common additions to miso soup include: diced tofu, chopped green onion, sliced raw mushroom and seaweed.

After a local grocery store in my area started to carry miso paste (I found it in the produce section by the tofu) I decided to research things I could use the miso for besides miso soup. I decided to try making salmon in a miso marinade. It turned out quite nice, with miso adding such a wonderful flavor to the marinade that minimal seasoning was required.


Marinated Miso Salmon with Oyster Mushrooms

3 TB white miso
1 tsp soy sauce
¼ C sake
1 TB mirin
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 fillets of Salmon
½ C oyster mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
3 TB olive oil, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together first six ingredients in a large shallow bowl. Place salmon fillets in marinade. Work them around to coat. Cover with foil and refrigerate, 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Heat 1 TB olive oil in saucepan over Medium heat. Cook oyster mushrooms until lightly browned . Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 TB olive oil in pan. Remove salmon from marinade, reserving marinade. When hot, add salmon fillets and cook, about 2 minutes on each side.

Brush the desired amount of marinade over tops of salmon fillets. Position oyster mushrooms on top of fillets. Place pan in oven and heat about 3-4 minutes to finish. Serve hot with your choice of sides. For this dish I chose to serve the salmon with a cucumber-chili relish and cilantro jasmine rice.