Today’s recipe is a quickie as I gear up for the St. Paddy’s Day madness. ‘Nuff said.

RECIPE:
Serves 4

2 lbs Organic/grass fed beef fillet
2 tbsp olive oil
drizzle grape seed or olive oil (for searing beef)

12 oz baby bella mushrooms
2 lg shallots – thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh tarragon
1/2 cup red wine (whatever you’re drinking will work)
2 cups organic beef broth
S&P

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 420°F

Preheat saute pan for 1 minute on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and saute mushrooms & shallots for 4 mins to soften. Add red wine and reduce heat to simmer. Reduce wine by half (2 minutes) and add broth and tarragon. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and season with S&P.

Preheat another skillet on high for 1 minute. Season fillet on all sides with S&P. Add drizzle grape seed (excellent for cooking on high temps) or olive oil in hot pan and sear fillet on all sides until browned, 2 minutes each side approx.
Once fillet is seared remove to a foiled oven tray. Pop in oven for 8-10 minutes for medium rare.
Let rest for 10 minutes when cooked to let the juices redistribute back into the meat.

Spoon sauce over sliced steak and Bob’s your uncle!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

There’s a lot to be said for mastering basic cooking techniques like properly grilling a steak, plain and simple. Here I’ve done just that yet to spice things up I roasted cauliflower with a little kick using smoked paprika. This might sound too basic but this is where choosing your ingredients makes all the difference. Grass-fed meats and organic produce are bursting with natural flavour. Delicious doesn’t have to mean complicated.

RECIPE:
2 x 6oz NY grass-fed steaks
1 tsp cracked black pepper (1/2 tsp per steak)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp grape seed oil (or olive oil if preferred). Grape seed oil gets to a higher temp before burning so is ideal for searing on high heat.

1 head organic cauliflower – cut in florets
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup green olives – halved
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
drizzle agave or honey (1/4 tsp)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Remove steaks from fridge 30 mins before cooking so they return to room temp. Reason being, if you try to grill a cold steak by the time the heat penetrates the center of the meat the outside will be overcooked.

Add cauliflower florets, paprika, olives, pepper, agave & oil into a mixing bowl. Toss together to coat. Lay on a foiled oven tray and pop in oven for 20 mins approx or until cooked.

To check, pierce the largest floret with a small knife through the center. If knife pierces easily you’re good.
NOTE: If florets begin to brown too much lay a sheet of foil over the top until cooked.

Meanwhile, as cauliflower is roasting season steaks with S&P on both sides. Preheat grill pan on medium high heat for 1 minute. Drizzle oil in pan and sear steaks for 4-5 minutes each side for medium rare. Cook for longer to achieve desired temp.

NOTE: Very important to let steaks rest after cooking, for 3-4 minutes before cutting. This is to let the juices redistribute back into the meat and not all over your plate when to delve into it.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

We’re still at the tail end of heart month so this recipe is packed with heart healthy goodness in the form of kidney beans. Research has found that higher legume consumption was associated with a whopping 82% reduction in risk of heart attack. Beans are also a great source of protein and are a favourite of vegetarians instead of meat or fish. As a meat eater I love the variety so I use beans in some of my recipes as an added boost.

Serving Suggestion: I served these with spaghetti squash (check here for recipe) to replicate spaghetti meatballs but much better…I think.

RECIPE:
1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups homemade veggie stock
2 cups cooked red kidney beans
1 large red onion – fine dice
2 garlic cloves – minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 organic eggs – beaten
1 cup Ener-G gluten free breadcrumbs or Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
2 tbsp fresh marjoram – chopped
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Begin by cooking the bulgur in the veggie stock for about 20 minutes or until cooked. Taste it to make sure.
Preheat a medium saute pan on medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil and saute onion for 1 minute. Add garlic and spices and continue cooking for additional 3 minutes, stirring, until onions are cooked and translucent.
Remove onion mixture and set aside to cool.
Place cooked bulgur, onions & cooked beans in a large mixing bowl and add egg. With clean hands mix together along with the breadcrumbs and herbs.
Taste and season with S&P.
With wet hands roll each meatball to a golf ball size and lay on a foiled oven tray.

You can do this ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to eat. This will also help to firm them up.
When ready, preheat broiler and place tray under broiler to heat through and make crispy.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

For those of you that don’t know, this month is National Heart Month. Not to get too Debbie Downer about it but heart disease is the country’s no. 1 killer. We all know the co-relation between food and a healthy heart. Making wise food choices is so important and with childhood obesity on the rise reaching epidemic proportions we need to take back control of what we put in our bodies. We only have the one!

According to the American heart assoc. living a heart healthy lifestyle includes making wise daily food choices. Here are some of their recommendations:

• Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.
• Select fat-free, 1% fat and low-fat dairy products.
• Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
• Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
• Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.
• Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (or less than 1,500 mg if you are in a higher risk group for high blood pressure).
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means no more than one drink per day if you’re a woman and two drinks per day if you’re a man.
• Keep an eye on your portion sizes.

In addition to healthy eating habits, the American Heart Association also recommends doing the following to lead a heart healthy lifestyle:

• Avoid use and exposure to tobacco products.
• Achieve and maintain healthy cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
• Emphasize physical activity and weight control.

One of the best foods you can eat is oatmeal, or porridge as we called it when I was growing up. Not only is it full of fiber but it helps reduce bad cholesterol, which is what blocks the arteries and leads to heart attacks. I’ve been eating a bowl every morning since I was young, totally true. I love the stuff. Here I decided to crumb some fish with it in place of bread crumbs and bake it. Serve with my homemade tartar sauce and you’re golden…..and heart healthy.

RECIPE:
Serves 4
4 x 4-5 oz Pacific Sole (an eco-OK fish)
2 organic egg whites, beaten (for breadcrumbing fish)
1 cup old fashioned porridge (oatmeal)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp lemon pepper

Tartar Sauce:
2 egg yolks
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup canola oil
1/2 lemon – zested
1 tsp capers – chopped
1 tbsp parsley – chopped
3 gherkins (cornichons) – chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat skillet on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add oatmeal and brown oats, tossing occasionally until golden, 7-8 minutes approx. Do not burn.
Once golden brown place in food processor along with paprika and pepper. Pulse to breadcrumb consistency but not too fine.

Now we’re ready to coat the fish. To do this simply dip the sole in the egg whites and let drain over the egg bowl to catch any excess drippings and then coat gently in the oatmeal crust on all sides. Once coated lay on a foiled or parchment paper lined tray until ready to cook.

To Make Tartar:
Tartar sauce is a mayo-based sauce. Homemade mayo is one of the easiest condiments to make and is way more healthier and tastier than store bought. When making homemade mayo you’ll notice it’s colour right off the bat–it’s not white, it’s yellow. Crazy isn’t it?

Place the egg yolks in the food processor along with the mustard & zest. With the machine running slowly add the oil to emulsify. If the mayo looks too thick add a drizzle of cold water to smooth it out. Once all the oil has been incorporated add the capers, gherkins, parsley & salt and pulse for 20 seconds. Done. Pop in the fridge until ready to eat.

From aioli to tartar sauce

To Cook Fish:

Preheat oven to  420°F.

Lay fish on foiled oven tray and spray both sides liberally with olive oil spray. Pop in oven for 8-10 minutes until crispy and firm to touch.

Cheers to healthy hearts!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Being in California I’m exposed to an amazing array of fresh organic fruit n veg that I wouldn’t normally get, especially back at home so I’m taking full advantage of it. One of my weekly adventures is heading to our local farmers market and seeing what’s in season and figuring out something to make with it. You might recall a few weeks back I made a Braised Beef Rib recipe using some Poblano peppers, which actually came from my garden. Turns out I really liked their charred smoky flavour so I figured I’d have another go with them. I love roasted peppers (Roast Red pepper Hummus) and funny enough I actually made this pork dish already but my photos weren’t up to par so this is round two. With a few tweaks this turned out even better than the last time.
Lucky for you I’m a shitty photographer!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs organic / grass fed pork tenderloin – trimmed, 1″ cubes
1 cup, small, diced white onion
3 Poblano* peppers – roasted, seeded,  peeled & diced
1 red bell pepper – seeded, small dice
3 cloves garlic – minced
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tbsp fresh marjoram – chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme – chopped
1 cup white wine (whatever you’re drinking will work)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp lemon pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
S&P

*NOTE: If you can’t find Poblano peppers you can substitute Anaheim peppers, green bell peppers or for more heat go for Serrano peppers.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

To Roast Peppers:
Place peppers on a foiled oven tray and coat all sides with drizzle olive oil. Pop in top shelf of oven until skin is charred on all sides. As soon as one side is charred turn. When completely charred place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. This will steam the pepper so the skin comes right off.
To remove Skins: They should easily peel off in your hands with a gentle tug here and there. DO NOT run the peppers under the tap to take the skins off. This will remove all the beautiful charred flavour from the pepper.

Preheat large saute pan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and saute onions, red pepper, poblano pepper and garlic for 5 -7 minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally.

While veg are cooking add all the diced pork into a large bowl and sprinkle the paprika and lemon pepper and coat pork evenly.

When the veg are beginning to soften add the chili flakes and herbs and mix for 1 minute. Remove the veg mix to a plate and drizzle 1 tbsp in that same pan increasing heat to high. Sear the diced pork in 2 batches for 3-4 minutes, stirring. You want to get a nice golden brown colour on all sides. Once the first batch is browned remove to the same plate as the veg and repeat process with additional pork, adding another tbsp of olive oil for each batch.

Return both the veg and meat to the saute pan and add the wine. Combine all ingredients together and cook for 2 minutes or until wine has reduced by half. Place everything in an oven proof casserole dish along with 4 cups low sodium chicken broth. Cover with foil.

Pop in the oven for about 1 1/2hours, approx. When ready the pork will be fork tender, super juicy and muy delicioso!

From my garden to my dinner plate — pretty cool!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Superbowl Sunday is this weekend. Who’s playin’ again? Oh ya Norlins & da Colts. I have to tell you I couldn’t give a monkeys who wins but I just like the competitiveness of it and of course the mucho beers & grub, which I’ll partake in no doubt. I am a guest of this country so it would be rude not to join in.

With the weekend that’s in it I wanted to give you guys a good easy recipe with a bit of a twist on regular meatballs, which actually doubles as two separate dishes. You can do these ahead especially the meatballs and just let them simmer on the stove. With the sliders you could sear them ahead o’ time and just pop them in the oven for a few minutes when the boys (& girls) come over. Easy!

RECIPE:
Serves 4-6

2 lbs minced lamb
1 cup shallots – fine dice
1/4 cup fresh marjoram & oregano mixed – chopped
1/2 red bell pepper – fine dice
1 tsp chili flakes
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat saute pan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil along with diced shallots, red pepper and chili flakes. Stir to coat and turn heat to low. You want to sweat the veggies without getting them brown. Stir occasionally for 5-6 minutes. Once softened remove to a plate to cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, as onion mixture is cooling, place the lamb in a large mixing bowl along with cheese, Worcestershire, herbs and S&P. Once veggies are cooled add to lamb. With clean hands get in there and mix thoroughly.

To Test: Preheat same saute you used already to saute the shallots. Drizzle a little olive oil in there and roll 1 meatball. Flatten down to slider size (1/4″ thick). Cook in the pan for a few minutes each side ’til cook through. Taste  and adjust seasoning to your taste if needed………..but I think you’ll be good.

Divide the meat mixture in half. One for meatballs the other for mini sliders.

MEATBALLS:
Roll the meatballs to golf ball size and lay on a foiled tray. Again use the same saute pan as above. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil and once all the meatballs are rolled out add to your tomato sauce of choice on the stove. Simmer for 1  hour partially covered. Once ready serve as is or with your favourite pasta and a good ol’ glass of red wine.

Make sure you take a gander at my mini meatball in pita pockets recipe from last year. These look (and taste) fantastic.

SLIDERS:
Roll each slider slightly bigger than the meatballs and flatten slightly to about 1/4 ” thickness. Preheat your grill pan for 1 minute on medium heat. Once ready to cook sear each slider for 3-4 minutes each side for medium rare or longer for more well cooked. Serve with the usual condiments, mustard, homemade ketchup and caramelized onions.

Who’s the real winner?

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Right now I have gorgeous poblano peppers growing in my garden so I decided to play around with them since they’re a relatively new ingredient to me. You’ll be most familiar with these peppers in Mexican food so what I came up with here was channeled through my inner “Irecan.” That’s Irish-Mexican, sort of like Rick Bayless affectionately known as Richie MacBayless. Unlike some other chillies these do not require a fire extinguisher (thank f*%k for that!)

RECIPE:
Serves 4

4 lbs organic / grass fed beef ribs
6 shallots – peeled
5 cloves garlic – peeled
4 poblano peppers
1 cup red wine (whatever’s open will do)
2 whole carrots – washed & halved
1 x 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (I prefer to use the Italian San Marzano’s, which are tad more expensive but the quality is better = tons of flavour)
6 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 bouquet garni – marjoram & oregano
10 black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Begin by searing the peppers directly on a gas flame, medium heat, of your stove. You want to char the skin not burn the flesh so as soon as one side of the skin is black and charred turn it until all sides are done. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. By doing this the steam created by the heat from the peppers will loosen the skins. After 30 minutes remove the skins from the peppers and clean out seeds. Slice the peppers into 1/4″ strips.

NOTE: Do Not rinse the charred peppers under the tap to remove the skins. This is a no no. All you’re doing is washing away all the lovely charred flavour.

Next seasoning & searing the ribs either in a hot pan with olive oil or, as I did, on the grill. Sear to a nice golden brown colour.

Place ribs in a large oven proof casserole dish when seared and let be until needed. Meanwhile saute the shallots & garlic in a medium hot saute pan in 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute for 4 minutes or until onions begin to brown. Add sliced poblanos and saute for another minute. Add wine and simmer for 2 minutes.

Next add tomatoes, carrots, peppercorns & herbs. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add sauce to ribs and enough broth to cover. Cover dish with foil and pop in oven for up to 3 hours or until ribs are fork tender and falling off the bone. Not only are the ribs fantastic but those San Marzano tomatoes will knock your socks off!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Following on my Vegetarianism post yesterday I thought I’d go all the way and go with a good ol’ fashioned meat recipe today. Pork tenderloin is the King Don Juan of pork cuts in terms of leanness and protein. It’s also one of the easiest meats to cook but unfortunately it’s also easy to over-cook. My method of adding broth to the meat whilst cooking is a technique I use a lot for the leaner proteins like poultry and pork. It just helps in not having to serve boot leather!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 1/2 lb organic/grass-fed pork tenderloin

2 tsp cumin seeds
1 lemon – zested
1 tbsp rosemary
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

Put everything (except the pork, funnily enough) in a food processor and blend. Coat all sides of pork in the marinade, place in a covered dish along with the remaining marinade and refrigerate from 4 to 24 hours.

Remove pork from fridge 1 hour before cooking to let return to room temperature.
Preheat oven 420°F.

Preheat skillet on high heat for 1 minute. Take the pork from the marinade and season both sides with 1/2 tsp salt, rub in. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil in hot pan and sear pork on all sides for 2 minutes, until golden brown.

Once browned remove to a foiled oven tray. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes until internal temp 125°F. You want to cook the meat medium rare and as with any other meat, let it rest for 10 minutes.

TIP: After cooking for 10 minutes add chicken broth to the tray so it surrounds the loins. This will help create moisture in the pork and will help eliminate being over-cooked.

Eating healthy charges on in 2010.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

On a recent visit to Austin my brother-in-law gave me a packet of dried morels and asked me to create a dish for them. Though this is a dish I’ve made many many times I thought it would be the perfect recipe for the morels plus it’s fairly fool proof. (Let’s see if Ron will try his hand at cooking this!) Luckily, braising meats is dead easy, eliminates the risk of drying out meat and always adds great flavour. The key with slow cooking, as I’ve mentioned before, is layering flavours. Searing the chicken, sauteing the mushrooms, adding garlic, well you get it. The more flavours you add the more intense and tasty the end result will be. Stands to reason, right?

I recently made this for a drop-off menu (did you know I can make dinner for you and drop it off?) and they said their 2 year old loved the mushrooms (if you’re a parent, this got the tot’s seal of approval) and they said it was even better the next day. Gotta love delicious leftovers!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 whole organic or grass fed chicken – portioned (2 breasts, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings)
6 shallots – peeled
8 oz baby bella mushrooms
1 ounce dried morel mushrooms or 1/2 lb fresh
1 x 8 oz jar baby artichokes
1 bunch fresh tarragon – wrapped like a bouquet garni
2 large bay leaves
4 cloves garlic – minced
1/2 white wine (whatever’s in your fridge)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 380°F.

Begin by seasoning & searing each chicken piece in 2 tbsp olive oil, either on a grill on in a large saute pan (high heat, 3 minutes each side) until browned on all sides. Place in a large over proof casserole dish.

In the same saute pan (if using, otherwise grab one) add 3 tbsp olive oil and saute the fresh bella mushrooms for 3 minutes (3 tbsp might look like a lot of oil but the mushrooms soak it up). Add shallots & garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Add white wine and cook for another minute. After cooking wine add everything to the chicken along with the tarragon, bay leaves, morel mushrooms, artichokes and broth.

Cover with foil and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken is fork tender. Pretty straightforward, right?

NOTE: You’ll notice in my photo above the skin looks crispy and dark. It was a little experiment that paid off. Here’s what I did:
As soon as the chicken was cooked in the oven, I removed all the pieces, placed them on a foiled oven tray and put them under the broiler. With the chicken having been braised it’s full of moisture so putting it under the broiler won’t dry it out. It simply makes the skin lovely and crispy while keeping the inside moist. Now I’m not advocating eating the skin because it’s just fat but if you just simply can’t say no to it or even if you’re entertaining guests this method looks and tastes great. This, of course is an optional step.

Ron, here’s your chance to show off some skills my man!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.

It seems like I have a penchant for stuffing meat. (hmm, that doesn’t sound right. Ah well you know what I mean!) Turkey (stuffed with persimmon-couscous, rice & herbs, wild mushrooms & rice ), fish (sole stuffed with spinach), pork (stuffed with apple & breadcrumbs)…and now for all you red meat eaters it’s your turn. I think I like the stuffed concept because depending on what you stuff it with it’s like an all-in-one meal. Also, these healthy “stuffings” can be interchanged among the different proteins, which ensures dinner never gets boring. Could also have something to do with the minimal amount of dishes used, which of course means there’s less stuff to wash up. Valid points don’t you agree?

I tried this recipe before using skirt steak and it didn’t quite pan out that well. The meat was too thin and wasn’t big enough to roll the filling so this time ’round I used flank steak and it worked out great. After tenderizing a bit the beef was large enough to hold all the goods and was the perfect thickness, meaning it needed less time in the oven for a perfect juicy med-rare. Mmm taashtee!

RECIPE:
Serves 6

1 1/2 lbs flank steak, organic or grass fed

8 oz baby spinach
1/2 cup red pepper – small dice
1/2 cup white onion – small dice
1 large garlic clove – minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup pine nuts – toasted in saute pan
4 tbsp olive oil
S&P to taste
cooking twine

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat large skillet on medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute peppers, onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Cook until softened. Next add in the white wine (whatever you’re drinking). Simmer for 1 minute, reducing the liquid, careful not to let it evaporate completely. Next up add the spinach and saute for 1 minute combining everything. Drain all into a colander, cool and fogedaboudit.
Once drained and cooled, taste and season with S&P.

Place the steak on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and using a mallet or, as I’ve done in the past, a heavy bottomed saucepan, give the meat a few belts to thin out a little, which will tenderize it.

When you’ve got all your aggressions out, lay some plastic wrap on your work surface and on top on that lay 4 pieces of twine of equal length, approx 10″ long perpendicular to you. Place the tenderized steak across parallel to you counter but perpendicular to the twine. (See photos, it’s easier.)

Use as many twines as needed to securely tie it all up. Once the twine is in place season the meat with S&P. Place the spinach filling in an even layer spread out on the meat and pat down. Begin rolling the meat like a Swiss roll nice n tightly ensuring the filling stays inside. Once rolled get yourself an extra pair of hands if you can and begin tying the strings tight enough to hold together.

Preheat large skillet on high heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. Season all sides of the rolled beef with S&P. Sear for 2-3 minutes each side ’til golden brown. Set on a foiled oven tray.

TO COOK:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pop beef in for 30 minutes approx or until internal temp 140°F. Remove and let rest for 6-8 minutes to let the juices redistribute back into the meat.
Don’t forget to snip the strings and discard them before eating.

Serving suggestion: Twice baked potatoes, the healthy way!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.