Steaks on the Grill

Ok, no recipes tonight, it's Saturday night and almost time for bed anyway.....had friends for dinner, ny strip steaks on the grill, simple grilled corn and tomato salad, wonderful company and fun conversation!  A thought to leave with you....do you recycle your corks????   You should, cork is not a sustainable resource, so we ought to put our wine corks to use doing something after we uncork that great bottle of wine.  Whole Foods accepts corks and recycles them, so please, please, save up your corks and take them to your nearest Whole Foods, put them in the bin and feel good that you have done something for the planet.  If you don't have a Whole Foods near you, go to:  http://www.korks4kids.org/  and find out how to ship your corks to korks 4 kids and they will take care of the rest.

Salad Nicoise

My go-to recipe for a dinner sure to get rave reviews from Dave, Salad Nicoise! I use the recipe in The Silver Palate Cookbook, leaving off the anchovy fillets and sometimes the olives (I know, I know, is it really Nicoise without the olives????, but sometimes I just don't have them handy) and I always add some capers, just because. I usually use premium canned tuna in oil as this adds a nice dimension, but tonight I'm using fresh tuna, seared on the grill instead. Along with the farm fresh beans, potatoes and tomatoes from the market yesterday, this will be the perfect summer dinner. Yes, it might finally be summer in Santa Monica......we've awakened to sunshine for the last two mornings instead of the persistent fog we've had for most of June and July, so we should celebrate!

Salad Nicoise, serves 2, total time: 45 mins

Vinaigrette

1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

minced parsley and/or chives, to taste

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

Salad

4 fingerling potatoes (about 1/4 pound)

1/2 pound green beans

2 ripe Italian plum tomatoes, quartered

1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp Nicoise olives

pinch salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

2 hard cooked eggs, quartered or sliced

4 oz ahi tuna

tbsp capers

2 cups mixed greens

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender but not mushy, about 10 mins. When slightly cool, quarter and transfer to large bowl. Cook green beans in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, until tender, but still firm. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and pat dry in paper towels. Place in bowl with potatoes. Add tomatoes, onion, olives, parsley, a pinch of salt and the pepper. Pour 2 tbsp vinaigrette over vegetables and toss gently.

Prepare grill (or use a grill pan). Lightly rub tuna with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sear over high heat for 2 mins per side (providing your tuna is about an inch thick, if thinner, sear for 1 1/2 mins per side). Slice tuna into thin slices.

Place one cup mixed greens on plate, top with vegetable mixture and arrange tuna slices on top. Place egg quarters around, sprinkle capers over. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette and serve room temperature.

Bottom Line: This is always a hit in our family, served with a little bread, it is very satisfying and I have vegetables and extra vinaigrette left over for my lunch tomorrow! I might open a little can of tuna to top it off....

Grilled Soft Shell Crabs and Fresh Bean Salad

It's a BIG foodie day in Santa Monica! First stop the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. One of the biggest and best farmers' markets around. The vendors are superb and there is so much farm fresh food to choose from it boggles the mind. Chefs get first shot at the goods and restaurant menus feature fresh fare from the market daily. So.......sensory overload while I do my best to reign in my compulsion to buy everything in sight.....I am only cooking for 2! Now, what to serve for dinner tonight.....I bought 4, yes 4, different kind of beans (green string, green romano, yellow wax beans and sprouted garbanzos), corn, tomatoes (you didn't think I would pass on more tomatoes did you??), radishes, wild arugula, cucumbers, fingerling potatoes, French melons, and strawberries. The fridge is packed!

Second stop: Santa Monica Seafood, where I was planning to buy a simple piece of fish to accompany aforementioned vegetables......however, they had soft shell crabs.......had to buy them. Now, soft shell crabs usually command a weekend night for our dinner, but they were lined up so perfectly, a lovely shade of cobalt blue, brighteyed and plump .......who knew if there would be more this weekend? Now, 2 little cleaned crabs are nestled among ice cubes in my fridge. I think I'll make a bean salad to accompany, and that means recipe hunting. I'm looking for something with a bit of an Italian flare to it, but we'll see what I come up with.

Fresh Bean Salad, serves 3-4, Total time: 45 mins*

This is a rif on a salad in Bon Appetit's August 2010 issue and it's already on the Epicurious website (Summer Bean Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Pecorino Fresco) if you'd like to try their version.

Dressing:

1/2 tbsp minced shallot

2 1/4 tsp Sherry wine vinegar

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tbsp walnut oil

Salad:

Handful green beans, trimmed

Handful Romano beans, trimmed

Handful yellow wax beans, trimmed

Handful sprouted garbanzo beans, raw (you could use canned garbanzos if you wish)

2 tbsp walnuts, toasted, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Mixed baby greens

Combine the dressing ingredients. Cook the beans individually in chicken broth. As each batch is cooked, remove with tongs to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Beans can be cooked and then stored in the refrigerator a day in advance*. Wrap them separately in paper towels and place in a ziploc bag.

Combine beans with dressing and place on top of greens. Top with thyme and walnuts.

Grilled Softshell Crabs, serves 2, total time: 30 mins

2 Softshell Crabs, cleaned and patted dry

Olive Oil

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Prepare grill. We grill these on high on our grill, but it's not all that powerful. If you have one of those mega BTU jobs, you probably want to try medium high. The same goes for charcoal I would think. Rub crabs lightly with olive oil and a few squeezes of lemon juice per side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill 4 minutes a side (this is Dave's favorite directive: everything cooks on the grill for 4 minutes a side...well almost everything...) Ta da!

Bottom Line: Yum! Fresh flavors all around and very easy clean up for Dave!

Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel with White Beans

More tomatoes....well, it is summer, Dave's still out of town and I love tomatoes! If I'm only cooking for myself, I usually make breakfast for dinner, but since it's the middle of summer and fresh vegetables are practically begging you to take them home, why not? This recipe from the August edition of Bon Appetit sounded fabulous (it has fennel and beans, more of my favs) so I thought I'd take this opportunity to check it out. A tip for fans of Bon Appetit. I make it a habit to save any of BA's recipes that I like to my Epicurious.com recipe box. Then, I can recycle the magazine and have a more organized way of filing my favorite recipes. Try it, it will change your life.

Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel with White Beans, serves 6, Total time: 1 hour 10 mins.

2 large fennel bulbs with fronds attached

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. coarse kosher salt, divided

2 pints grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)

4 large fresh oregano sprigs

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1/2 cup. Trim fennel bulbs and cut in half vertically. Cut each bulb half into 1/2 inch wide wedges, leaving some core attached to each wedge.

Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over med-hi heat until very hot (about 3 mins). Add fennel wedges in single layer; sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt. Cook until fennel begins to brown and soften, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 mins. Add tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and crushed red pepper; sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Fold together gently.

Transfer skillet to oven. Bake until fennel and tomatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 mins. Mix in beans and 6 tablespoons fennel fronds. Bake 5 mins. longer to heat through. Transfer mixture to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining chopped fronds. Serve warm or at room temp.

Bottom line: I halved this recipe and used butter beans instead of cannellini beans. It did not take the full 12 mins. to brown the fennel and it only took 18 minutes to cook the tomato, fennel mixture. I attribute the reduced cooking time to the smaller portion, but you might want to keep your eye on it anyway. The dish was delicious and quite filling. It would make a great vegetarian entree or pair well with fish or grilled meat.

Fattoush Salad

Fattoush Salad, or Lebanese Bread Salad was introduced to me by my good friend, Leslie. Not that she gave me the recipe (wish that she had!). I found several recipes on the internet and played around to come up with this one, which I enjoyed for my dinner tonight. Dave's out of town, so he missed out.

Fattoush Salad, serves 2, prep time 30 minutes

1 whole wheat pita, cut into 3/4 inch strips

1/2 tsp. chopped garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp. ground sumac

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup diced cucumber (I like to use Japanese or Persian)

1/4 cup diced red pepper

1/4 cup chopped mint leaves

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves

2 tablespoons crumbled Feta cheese

Peperoncini peppers

Toast pita in a 400 degree oven 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Cool and crumble into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

For the dressing, mix together garlic, salt, lemon juice and sumac. Drizzle in olive oil while whisking to blend.

Toss lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, red pepper, mint and parsley with 1/2 of the dressing. Add pita crumbles and more dressing. Salad should be wet. Let sit 5 minutes. Serve, topping with Feta and freshly ground pepper. Garnish with Peperoncini.

Bottom line: This salad has it all: great fresh flavor, nice crunch and several servings of those all important veggies! Feel free to add anything you want, olives would be nice.

Grilled Lamb Chops and Roasted Vegetables

Tonight's dinner: Grilled Lamb Chops and Roasted Vegetables

Not everyone likes lamb (and you know who you are!), but this is a delicious way to prepare lamb chops. It's easy and quite tasty, so ENJOY! I've included the link to the NY Times for the recipe and I would advise that you print it out as I'm not sure how long you can access without a subscription.

Grilled Thick Lamb Chops with Stout-Citrus Glaze, NY Times 7/21/10

http://nyti.ms/c6Sscg

Roasted cauliflower and zucchini, with shallot/butter glaze:

Preheat oven to 450. Separate cauliflower into florets. Cut zucchini into

spears. Toss vegetables with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and

freshly ground pepper. Transfer to roasting pan and roast 20-30 minutes

until vegetables are nicely browned. Meanwhile, chop shallot. Melt 1 1/2

tablespoons butter in small saucepan. When foaming, add shallots and

brown, stirring often. When vegetables are browned, pour shallot/butter

mixture over and squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over.

Green Salad

Bottom Line: this was an EASY meal to prepare and YUM!

Since I seem to spend a good part of my day wondering what's for dinner, I assume there are many of you out there that also ponder this all important question day in and day out. So, I decided to share my successes and failures in this department with the thought that we could all support each other and share some inspiration on the dinner front from time to time.

First a few guidelines:

• I won't post every day as some nights we go out for dinner...
• We eat pretty healthy, so there won't be pot pies, mac and cheese, or other mega calorie dinners.
• I keep it pretty simple: main, salad, vegetable, for the most part. But feel free to add bread or pasta if you want.
• We do a lot of grilling (actually Dave, my husband, does the actual grilling, but I do everything else).
• I'll try to post all the recipes or a link to them if possible.
• Dave does the dishes........willingly :)