basil and panko crusted halibut, wheatberries w/ avocado and basil puree

 

Wheat berries w/ avocado and basil puree
If you wanted to have a vegetarian night just saute up some veggies (zucchini, squash, mushroom, onions, tomatoes) and serve with the wheat berries for a delicious, hearty meal!

2 cups uncooked wheat berries

• You can substitute the wheat berries for farro or brown rice, but don’t forget to alter the amount of liquid you use and the cooking time

2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 1/2 cup water
4 medium-large ripe avocados
1/2 cup basil, rough chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

– Rinse wheat berries and drain. Add chicken stock and water to wheat berries and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hr till almost all of the liquid is gone. Remove wheat berries and place in a mixing bowl; reserve any leftover liquid on the side
– In a food processor or blender, combine avocados, basil, lemon zest and juice and olive oil. Puree until smooth. If the puree is too thick add in some of the reserved liquid from the wheat berries. Season liberally with salt and pepper
– Spoon puree over wheat berries, reserving 1/4 cup of the puree for the fish

Basil and panko crusted halibut

6 halibut fillets

• If you’re portioning the halibut yourself, I normally do 6oz-7oz a person, so for 6 people you would need approx. 2 1/4- 2 1/2 lbs of fish

1/4 cup avocado and basil puree
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup panko
1 tbsp basil, finely chopped
salt and pepper
olive oil

– Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place baking tray in the oven to heat the tray
– While the tray is heating, mix together the butter, basil, garlic powder, bread crumbs, and panko in a small bowl
– Season the halibut with salt and pepper on both sides and spread the avocado and basil puree over the top of each fillet
– Spoon the bread crumb mixture on top of the puree and lightly press down
– Remove the baking tray from the oven, drizzle the tray with olive oil, and place halibut fillets on the tray, topping side up. Place a sheet of foil over the fish and bake for 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish
– Remove foil for the last few minutes so topping gets nice and brown; you can also turn the oven to broil to quickly brown the topping if you’re worried about the fish getting overcooked

quinoa tuna salad

Had some leftover cooked quinoa and asparagus in the fridge and what started as a cold salad soon turned into a warm salad. I also found sustainably caught canned tuna at Costco and had to try it. You could add so many ingredients to this salad and there really aren’t set amounts for things… so just have fun!

Quinoa Tuna Salad

~4 cups cooked quinoa
1 can white cannellini beans (white lima beans or northern beans would work)
asparagus, cut into 1-1 1/2″ segments
1 bell pepper, medium diced
1/2 red onion, small diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil
~3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (not packed)
1 can tuna, broken into chunks
1/2 lemon, juiced (you most likely won’t need all the juice)
olive oil
salt and pepper

– Fluff quinoa in a large mixing bowl
– Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add red onion and garlic and cook until onions begin to soften and then add asparagus and bell peppers. Cook until just tender
– Add mixture to quinoa. Return pan to heat and add sun dried tomatoes, with their oil, and tuna. Season tuna with salt and pepper and add to quinoa mix
– Add parmesan cheese and mix everything together. Squeeze lemon juice over salad and drizzle with olive oil, remix, taste and adjust seasoning

can you find mochi? 🙂

herbed quinoa, pan-roasted halibut

 

Qunioa is one of those grains that have have become very popular lately because of it’s health benefits: it’s gluten free, high in fiber and protein (it’s actually a complete protein), and cholesterol-free, but it also has a great texture and taste, and can soak up other flavors quite well. Here I mix cooked quinoa with a herb “sauce” and serve it with some sauteed asparagus and pan- roasted halibut

Herbed Quinoa
This quinoa would also go great with other proteins such as chicken, fish, or steak, or just mix it with some tomatoes, cucumbers and feta for a take on a tabboulleh salad

4 cups cooked quinoa (about 2 cups uncooked)
1 bunch curly parley, roughly chopped
1 cup chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chicken or vegetable broth
2 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper
~1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (optional)

• I just like the butter because it adds richness to the mouthfeel, but you can easily leave it out. If you’re mixing the quinoa into a cold salad, I would leave it out

– Combine herbs, garlic, lemon juice, chicken broth, and soy sauce in a food processor. Pulse till evenly mixed
– With food processor running, drizzle in olive oil and melted butter, scraping down the sides every so often, so it forms a smooth consistency. You want the texture to be quite loose- somewhere between a pesto and vinaigrette
– Season liberally with salt and pepper, as this is the only seasoning the quinoa will have on it
– If the quinoa is cold, re-heat before mixing the sauce onto it, otherwise the butter may solidify. Mix to coat quinoa evenly and serve

Pan Roasted Halibut with Brown-Butter Caper Pan Sauce(4 servings)
This sauce goes well with pretty much any white fish: rock fish, cod, halibut, swordfish..so just choose whatever looks freshest at the market

~2 lbs fish, or 4 fillets
1/4 cup butter
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup white wine
chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp capers
olives (optional)

• Chopped up olives go great in this simple pan sauce if you have some on hand. I like using green castelvetrano olives if I have them, because they have a nice meaty texture and buttery taste and aren’t too briny

salt and pepper

– Season fish with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fish as you normally would, but remove it from the pan a few minutes before it is done and set aside
– Add butter and smashed garlic to the pan and cook until butter is browned. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan and add wine to deglaze
– If the wine immediately evaporates add enough stock to form a sauce. Add in capers and chopped olives and adjust seasoning if necessary
-Return fish and any juices to the pan cook fish for another 2-3 minutes to finish them off before serving. Spoon sauce over fish

Apricot-cider glazed salmon, crispy roasted potatoes

Dress salmon, or chicken, up with this simple glaze, serve with your favorite veggies and starch and voilà!

Crispy roasted potatoes

~2 lbs easter egg potates, halved or quartered depending on their size

• They’re called easter egg potatoes, because they come in several different colors, but fingerling potatoes would work just as well, or even red potatoes cut in quarters

10-12 small garlic cloves, very rough chopped
couple sprigs of thyme
olive oil
salt and pepper

– Preheat oven to 400 degrees
– Wash and cut potatoes and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add chopped garlic and thyme
– Season liberally with salt and pepper and toss potatoes to make sure they are well coated. Dump potatoes onto a large baking sheet
– Cook potatoes for 20 minutes at 400, then turn heat up to 425, stir potatoes, and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes till tender when poked with a fork

• you may have to use a spatula to scrape the potatoes off of the baking sheet, but that’s okay, because that’s how you get the crispy brown sides

Apricot-Cider Glazed Salmon

apricot-cider glaze (see recipe below)
4 salmon filets (~6oz each)
olive oil
salt and pepper

– Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until oil begins to “shimmer”, just before it starts smoking

• by “shimmer” I mean that when you tilt the pan from side to side the oil will ripple, making it look shiny. This is when you should add the fish to get a nice sear and make sure your fish doesn’t stick to the pan. If you wait until the oil starts smoking the quality of the oil begins to break down and you’re more likely to start a fire if oil splatters when you add your food

– Season salmon with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook salmon for 5 minutes before flipping over to other side
– After about 3 minutes drizzle 1/2 of the glaze over salmon fillets and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes depending on whether you want your salmon medium or well
– Remove salmon from the pan. Add in the rest of the glaze on cook for 1-2 minutes to reduce. Drizzle reduced glaze over salmon and serve

For the glaze: (enough for 4 salmon filets)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp apricot jelly (pineapple and peach would also work)
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp thyme chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
pepper

– Combine cider vinegar, sugar, jelly, and mustard
– Microwave for 45 seconds to melt jelly and sugar
– Add in remaining ingredients and mix well

• Glaze will keep in the refrigerator for about a week before the thyme starts going bad, but if you use dried thyme, or add the fresh thyme in later, the glaze can probably keep for longer