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Spicy Chimichurri Sauce

Thursday Sep 2, 2010

chimichurri1 Delicious is what I think of when I look at this vibrant sauce. It is full of flavor and best of all- goes with all sorts of meats and even vegetables.

It is my version of a chimichurri sauce which is popular in Argentina, Uruguay, Nicaragua and Mexico. It is mostly used as a sauce for grilled meat and even as a marinade.

Good friends were coming over for dinner and I wanted to barbecue but keep it simple. I had a huge piece of a boneless rib eye steak and I also bought my husband’s favorite fish- alaskan butterfish or also known as black cod. Thankfully our local fish monger (Freemans) now carries the fish regularly.

I bought some corn to grill and potatoes to roast in the oven- and thats it. I grilled the meat and the fish and served it with this delicious sauce. It complimented the steak as well as the creamy fish.

The sauce is simply made with cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, orange juice, garlic and my secret ingredient- ancho chili powder. I love using that spice in sauces and marinades- it  gives everything a delicious smoky flavor.

Try this spicy chimichurri sauce- you will want to eat it everything in the fridge…
Click here for the recipe… »


Nectarine and Tomato Salad

Sunday Aug 29, 2010

Nectarine and Tomato Salad I was in the kitchen listening to the radio the other day- which, by the way is my favorite thing to do- when I heard someone talk about summer tomatoes. They were saying how good the crop is this year because of the hot hot weather. I realized it to be true as I thought about the bumper tomato crop I have been harvesting from my backyard. The tomatoes have been unbelievable. I mostly grown cherry tomatoes- I love them. They are super versatile and delicious.

Anyway, the radio person suggested a peach and tomato salad- and that is where I got my inspiration.  It is so simple that I am almost embarrassed to post it as a recipe.

The key ingredient is balsamic glaze. You can buy it at a specialty store- I bought my from Italy but you can make your own as well. It is as simple as cooking regular balsamic vinegar down on a medium heat until it cooks down to a syrupy consistency. That is all this salad has- salt, really good olive oil and thyme.

It is very delicious- the combination of tomatoes and nectarines is unbelievable. Before summer is over- try this super simple salad…

  • 2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 to 2 nectarines cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic glaze
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme

Add the cherry tomatoes and nectarines into a medium bowl. Add the salt and olive oil. Let them sit for at least an hour. Add the fresh thyme and balsamic glaze and serve.


Tomato Rice with Peas

Wednesday Aug 25, 2010

Tomato RiceThis is my version of a South Indian rice dish my husband has all the time at restaurants. I have never made it before and thought it would be nice to try it at home. It is essentially cooked rice sauteed with a lot of spices, lentils and curry leaves. I decided to take it to another level and make a one pot meal out of it. How much do we love one pot meals?

In order to make this dish balanced I added frozen peas and shredded paneer which is an Indian style cheese. So now I had vegetables and protein in the rice dish. I guess if you wanted to be even more healthy, you can use brown rice instead of the white.

The rice dish was super flavorful with the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a blend of spices. The crushed tomatoes and peanuts made this dish fabulous. My daughter is not into nuts- so all I did was take them out for her. She was very skeptical trying the rice- but once she had a bite, she was sold…
Click here for the recipe… »


Zucchini and Squash Saute

Tuesday Aug 24, 2010

Zucchini and Squash Saute This is a great summer side dish. Perfect with the burgers or any other grilled protein. I come up with these concoctions after I have gone crazy at the farmers market.

In this case, I purchased a lot of gorgeous looking zucchini and yellow squash. After thinking about it for a while, I came up with this quick and delicious dish.

I wanted to use very few ingredients and not lose the fresh squash taste. I sliced an onion and grated some ginger- somehow I wasn’t in the mood for garlic. I wanted  the taste to be clean and simple and so that is all I did. I sauteed everything lightly and finished the dish off with some lemon juice- it tends to wake up all the flavors in a dish.

This concoction will be perfect with pasta as well. Add some al dente penne and you have a complete meal. You could add some fresh herbs to make it even yummier- either way, you can’t go wrong with this simple dish…
Click here for the recipe… »


Cauliflower and Potatoes

Monday Aug 23, 2010

Cauliflower and Potatoes Here we go again- this is yet another version of cauliflower. I should go back and look on this blog and count how many different cauliflower recipes I have. It is my husbands favorite thing to eat so I try to make it as much as I can- the problem is, coming up with different versions of the same vegetable- yes you are right- I am patting myself on the back for coming up with a new recipe.

Well, it is really not new. I remember eating this kind of a dish at wedding parties in India. It was not the most healthy way of cooking it.. they would fry the cauliflower florets and potatoes first and then cook it with lots of onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. It tasted really good but I certainly didn’t want to make it the same way. So- I decided to roast the vegetables in a large cookie sheet to attain similar results. I roasted them till they were soft and golden brown. I then started a saucepan with oil, cumin seeds, onion, ginger and garlic. I later added the crushed tomatoes and other spices.

Overall, it is a fairly simple dish with a few extra steps- but it is worth the work. The dish is delicious…
Click here for the recipe… »