Sushi Bowls

Sometimes we really crave sushi and this homemade version is the perfect fix! We actually enjoy it better than the rolls we get at a restaurant.


This version is basically an unwrapped California roll and each bite is a different experience!

To make:

Cooked white rice tossed in rice wine vinegar and a little sugar. Let this cool about an hour in the fridge.
1 avocado - sliced into thin wedges
2 large radishes thinly sliced
1 European cucumber thinly sliced
Crab meat or shrimp
pickled ginger
wasabi
lite soy sauce
2 tb rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
nori
crispy noodles
Toasted sesame seeds

Arrange all of the veggies in a fancy arrangement over your rice. Top with the crab, shredded bits of nori, ginger, sesame seeds and noodles. Add soy sauce and wasabi to your liking. Be CAREFUL when preparing the wasabi powder. Do not rub your eyes : )

Enjoy!

Albanian Bean Soup "Supe me Fasule"

This traditional Albanian recipe for a simple white bean soup is one of Erv's favorites. It's so easy to make and it's the perfect comforting meal on a cold winter's day.



Here is the recipe:

1 container low sodium chicken or beef broth
1 large yellow onion - finely diced
2 carrots - chopped in thirds
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
S&P
1 TB chili powder
Stew Beef with Bone ( I used neck meat )
2 cans white butter beans ( or northern white)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 TB dried parsley
Sour Cream or Yogurt for garnish

Heat olive oil in large stock pot. Brown both sides of meat. Add diced onions and carrot and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic, tomato sauce, broth, s&p and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Add parsley and simmer on low for about 2 hours.

After 2 hours, remove meat and carrots. I pureed the carrots in a food processor to thicken the broth. Also adds great flavor : ) Remove meat from the bones and shred into small pieces. I add the bones back to the soup because Erv likes to pick at them some more and it also makes a richer broth. Next day tastes even better.

That's it! I like to serve the soup over white rice. Top with sour cream and enjoy!

Flounder with Outrageous Crab Stuffing Crust

Need I say more?? This recipe was fantastic! If you love crab cakes or stuffed Flounder, you would really enjoy this. It all came about because we went to the fish market and ended up with some very over-sized Flounder fillets. I asked for enough fish to feed two people, but what I got was enough to feed about four. The fillets were HUGE. I had stuffed flounder in mind, but when I got home I realized rolling these into neat little packages was not going to work out so well. I also was concerned that the fillets would remain raw in the middle because they were so thick. Sooo...I decided to lightly pan fry them first in some butter and paprika. Then I placed them in a baking dish and lightly pressed the crab stuffing on top. I guess you could call this "Open Faced Stuffed Flounder" lol. Then I drizzled some light olive oil on ( for extra crunch ) and garnished with lemon slices. Stuck it in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, and Voila! Perfectly cooked fish with a crunchy crab topping. Don't forget the tartar sauce and lemon : )



Crab Stuffing:

1 can crab meat ( with claw meat ) - Trader Joe's Brand
1/4 cup light mayo
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 egg ( I used 2 eggwhites)
1/2 red bell pepper - finely diced
1/2 small white onion - finely diced
1 large rib celery - finely diced
3/4 cup bread crumbs ( I used whole wheat - Whole Foods Brand)
Juice of half of lemon
Ground Pepper
Paprika - to garnish
1 TB Butter
Olive Oil

Melt butter over medium heat. Add diced bell pepper, onion, and celery. While this is cooking, combine mayo, egg, mustard and lemon in a large bowl. Add crab meat. When veggie mixture is tender, remove from heat and let cool 1 minute. Then add into crab mixture. Then mix in the bread crumbs and ground pepper. If mixture appears too dry, add a splash of milk or chicken broth. Should be moist, but not mushy.

Thank God for German Food...Apple Pork Chops, Red Cabbage & Potatoes

This has to be one of my all time favorite comfort foods. Pork chops, Potatoes and Red Cabbage. Everything smells wonderful as it cooks and it just puts me in the greatest mood. I found this recipe for Apple Pork chops from an old cookbook I had sitting around collecting dust, lol. Who knew! Basically you braise the pork chops in a little bit of butter until they are browned on both sides. Remove them from the pan. Then you add another pat of butter, and saute some sliced tart apples ( 3 small ones ) and a dash of cinnamon until the apples are slightly tender. Place the apples on the bottom of a baking dish, place the pork chops on top, and top it all off with a mixture of Dijon mustard, sour cream and chicken broth. Bake for 25 minutes until nice a bubbly. Oh mama!

Something New to the Table...Indian!

This is the first time that we tried Indian cuisine. I must say it was awesome! I was a little bit wary about tasting curry because the smell of it isn't too appealing to me. However, once you get past the smell, you find out that the flavor is really enjoyable and it tastes better and better with every bite. I got the recipe from the back of a jar of "Masala Simmer Sauce" from Whole Foods. I simmered some chicken thighs and served this over Jasmine rice. I also purchased some curried lentils and red beans and mixed this with fresh asparagus. Not bad, bad. Had some cucumber salad with yogurt and fresh cilantro. And you cannot forget the irresistable...toasty...chewy...crunchy...buttery Naan! The best part of the meal : )

Steamed Mussels and Clam Chowder

As you can see, we've been on a real seafood kick this past week. I can say that I was inspired by all the yummy seafood we had in Connecticut at this adorable family owned restaurant in Mystic Seaport. We didn't get their infamous lobster roll, but enjoyed their lump crabcakes, clam chowder and steamed mussels. I really enjoyed the taste of the mussels and wanted to try making them myself. They are soooo easy to make! Literally, 4 minutes to cook. (And about an hour to eat!).

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I found the mussel "bath" recipe on the food network recipe. It's really easy:

1 can diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 cup chicken broth
bunch of fresh cilantro
Splash of cooking wine

Bring all of the ingredients to a boil. Then add your mussels and steam them for 4 minutes, or until all of them have opened. Serve with melted butter ( I added minced garlic and red pepper flakes to mine - delicious!).

The clam chowder was awesome too! I made a low-fat version using 1% milk and flour to help thicken the soup. We purchased the fresh clams and mussels from our local famrer's market. When it comes to seafood, gotta buy fresh! It's worth the extra bucks.

Tropical Mahi Mahi Dinner

The other day I was checking out all of the different kinds of fish in the Whole Foods freezer isle. I was tempted to stick with the flounder but I wanted to try something different this time around. Man, was I glad I did! Mahi Mahi is a wonderful fish. It has a delicate flavor, but a denser texture, almost like chicken. I actually fooled Ervis into thinking he was eating chicken the first minute or so...lol.

I prepared the fish filets by marinating them in pineapple juice, sherry, garlic and soysauce. Then they were stuck under the broiler for about 5 minutes on each side. I made a fresh pineapple and mango salsa with red onion, cilantro and lime juice. Mmm! A side of rice and tangy black beans complimented the dish nicely. Not to mention my hawaiian slaw that I threw together using the extra pineapple, cabbage, toasted sesame seeds, lime and mayo. It was definitely a night in taste bud paradise : )

Oh and forgot to mention that we had coconut pineapple smoothies for dessert!