Healthy, hearty, good for your heart salad, a must try!

With Spring in full swing and Summer just around the corner (hard to believe already), it's a perfect time to resurrect that box of healthy habits we had put away for the Winter. There's no better way to get into that swing than a hearty salad of fresh broccoli and zucchini, along with cherry tomato halves, tossed in warm Dijon dressing. Your heart and body will thank you for this with its low calories, low sodium, and low saturated fats.

This preparation is perfect for 4 servings and if so desired, can be served with a slice of crusty French bread and slivers of Gruyere cheese for the added benefits of calcium and Vitamin D. Total calories per serving is just 175, sodium of only 177 mg., and no saturated fat or cholesterol! You'll be surprised how flavorful this is. Ingredients you'll need for this wonderful salad are:

5 3/8 oz. fresh zucchini (equals 1 medium)

12 oz. fresh broccoli (about 2 nice sized crowns)

5 oz. fresh cherry tomatoes (about 1 cup)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

5 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon cold water

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Begin by preparing the garlic and olive oil. Slice the larger garlic cloves lengthwise down the center to make 2 even halves. Then slice lengthwise in slivers.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Saute the garlic lightly, tossing frequently until garlic slightly changes color to a "champagne" tone. This takes about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool while you prepare the vegetables.

To prepare the broccoli, heat to boiling, about 2 cups of hot water in a large pot. Add a steamer mesh and steam vegetable covered for about 2 minutes. Remove immediately and cool in a bowl of cold water.

Five ounces of zucchini equates to about 1 medium sized about 1.5 inches in diameter. Cut the zucchini into 4 equal parts. Next slice each part in halves lengthwise. Now, slice each half into 4 strips.

Slice each cherry tomato in half and set aside.

Strain the broccoli and pat dry. Cut into nice individual flowerets and transfer to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes and the zucchini.

To prepare the dressing follow these simple directions. Return the saute pan with the garlic and olive oil to the stove over low heat. Now add the vinegar, water, and Dijon mustard and with a wire whisk, whisk dressing until ingredients are well blended and you have a smooth and silky sauce like texture. Add your salt and pepper to taste and blend one final time. When dressing is warm to the touch, pour it over the vegetables and toss. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the fresh chopped parsley over the top and serve with a slice of crusty French bread and Gruyere cheese if you wish. Enjoy :)

Tips

Preparing this dressing over warm heat really brings out the flavors of the mustard and garlic and enhances the depth of your salad. Make sure you don't over heat however! It should be just warm to the touch with your finger.

Just think Spring... Please!

It's the dead of Winter, the cold has settled in, and before the month of January has passed, we may very well experience a blanket of snow on the ground; however, don't be dismayed, you can still celebrate Spring and all its colors while in the comfort of your home. And when you look out your window, if you simply look up at the blue sky and not the lifeless trees, you can imagine it's the middle of April and it's nearly lunch time!

This Pork Tenderloin Salad will certainly ease the pains of Winter and like all wonderful Spring season salads, this one is as easy to create as the rest of them,  with all the nutrition your body needs to keep you going for the rest of the day. There's nothing complicated with the ingredients and all are readily available. Here they are for a lunch party of 4:

4 Pork Tenderloin medallions (3/4 inch thick, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness)
3 medium sized ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges, then each wedge cut in half
2 Belgium Endives, sliced in 1 inch lengths
1/2 cup fresh Fennel, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch of fresh Dill, roughly chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper (for pork)
1/4 cup of white wine (dry)

Salad Dressing:

1/2 cup of olive oil
1/6 cup of white rice vinegar plus 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon of honey
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by heating the 3 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat in a large frying pan. Once olive oil just begins to smoke, reduce heat to medium high and place each tenderloin medallion in the pan. Saute for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until nicely browned and salt each with a couple of shakes, along with the pepper. Medallions should be cooked to medium, but do not overcook!! You want to maintain the moisture content. Remove from pan and set aside to cool to room temperature. Discard the liquid/oil from the pan, but do not wash pan (you will deglaze it shortly).

Prepare all the vegetables as directed and place in a medium size bowl. Toss WITHOUT the dressing, so that all ingredients are well mixed. Set aside.

Prepare your salad dressing, adding all ingredients in a small bowl and beating well with a fork until liquids are well mixed and blended. Set aside.

Return the frying pan over medium high heat. Now add the white wine and deglaze the pan and continue deglazing until the liquid is reduced by half. Shut the heat off, remove pan from stove top and stir in the salad dressing into the pan until well blended.

To assemble, place a medallion of pork in the center of each plate and pour a tablespoon of the dressing over each one. Next, 1/4 of the salad over each medallion. Finally, drizzle several tablespoons of the dressing over each serving. At this time, you can sprinkle of few sprigs of dill over each serving as a final touch. Serve at room temperature and enjoy with a glass of the same white wine, along with a couple of slices of crusty French baguette bread. It goes without saying that one should cook with the same wine they would have no problem drinking!

Who knew Guacamole could be so easy (and tasty)?

I must confess that I've never made Guacamole before. It has always been so convenient for others to make or bring to a party that it never really crossed my mind to do it myself; however, the other day there were two nice sized Avocados staring at me in the face on the kitchen counter, perfectly ripe, not too soft, not too hard. The mood struck me to prepare one of them sliced with a drizzle of my Dijon vinaigrette, along with a couple slices of crusty French bread. Stopping short of running the knife though the peeling, I decided, since I had nothing better to do, to come up with a recipe for Guacamole, my way. And so I ventured into uncharted territory and began to gather my ingredients, creating the recipe along the way. Here's what I came up with:

2 large Avocados (firm but ripe)
3 cloves of garlic (crushed and finely chopped)
1/2 large onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup of fresh finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of Pimientos
2 tablespoons of bottled sweet red chili pepper sauce
1 green onion (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut each Avocado in half, remove the pits, and carefully remove the meat from the shell with a spoon into a bowl. Set the shell halves aside.  Using a fork, mash the avocado meat and pour the lemon juice in,  stirring well so that ingredient is well incorporated. Now add the sweet chili sauce, green onion and parsley and stir. Set aside.

Using a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the chopped onion, garlic, and pimientos until onion is softened and translucent. This usually takes about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Once cooled, add sauteed mixture to the avocado and mix thoroughly. Add a couple pinches of salt and pepper and taste for correct seasoning.

With a spoon, return the avocado mixture to the shells, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about an hour. Serve 1/2 avocado per person along with chips and a spoon. You may just want to use the spoon alone. This recipe is absolutely delicious and works great as an appetizer or snack for the Sunday ball games. I think I finally made my first Guacamole - or at least my version of it.

A most colorful salad dedicated to my Aussie friends

OK, so tomatoes are a fruit, correct? And we all know that kiwis are a fruit as well, correct? What if the two of them met each other in a most unlikely venue, say a salad? And let's say that these silly little capers decided to butt in and mix things up. Before you knew it, there was a flavor party brewing, somebody said Happy New Year, and confetti parsley came raining down on all of them.It wasn't long til they were drenched by Miss Virgin Olive Oil and and a new beau, Monsieur Balsamic. It need not be said that it would certainly be a fun time to be had by all!

Well, once you get your first mouthful of this wonderful salad recipe, your taste buds will certainly be screaming "Party Time"! The combination of flavors simply play well together with the blend of sweet from the kiwi, the mild acidity of tomatoes, and the tartness of the capers, all complimented by the sweet balsamic. A good quality olive oil simply ties everything together in a bouquet of aromas that will make you think it's summer again in the North and a reaffirmation that it really is summer in the South.

This salad works perfectly well as an appetizer, entree, or just an afternoon snack accompanied by a slice of garlic and rosemary bread and a nice flute of champagne. From Aussies to Yankees, this will surely please the palate!

Marinated Butter Beans at 1/3 the cost!

A perfect appetizer, Butter Beans are not only good for you, but also rather inexpensive to prepare with few ingredients to gather. These marinated beauties are prepared the night before and served chilled. You may have seen these marinated beans in the salad and olive bar section of your grocery store, selling for shy of $10 a pound; however, this recipe will show how you can achieve a superior duplication for much less than that right from the comfort of your own kitchen. The quantities mentioned will serve as a first course for a dinner party of 8.

2 16 oz. cans of Butter Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup +2 tablespoons of white balsamic or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Butter lettuce for presentation

Drain and rinse the Butter Beans and set aside in a large bowl. Add the garlic and chopped red pepper.

In another bowl, add all other ingredients and with a wire whisk, beat well until all is blended and a smooth texture is achieved. Add this dressing to the Butter Beans and stir well for about a minute. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

That's all there is to it. For about $6.25, you have prepared 2 pounds of marinated Butter Beans every bit as good (or better) than that found in specialty markets at 1/3 the price! Serve these chilled over a bed of Butter (Boston) lettuce and you'll have your dinner guests satisfied and impressed.

Keep it simple Shrimp & Chicken

With Summer nearing its end in the Northern Hemisphere (you lucky Aussies down south!), it seems fitting to enjoy one of the last outdoor lunch activities with a simple and colorful saute, finished off with a refreshing salad of fresh Spinach in a lemon and orange dressing. Certainly this will seem out of place in the dead of Winter, so while we still can, set that patio table up for you and your favorite friends and enjoy the last days of those warm rays dining the afternoon away!

This lunch menu keeps your time in the kitchen to a minimum, allowing you more time in the sun. For the main course let's get the following ingredients together:

When less is more, sensational flavors abound!

Your kitchen is well equipped, spice racks are bursting at the seams, and the variety of pantry items scream out, "pick me pick me", at first sight of light coming from a half opened cupboard door. Not wanting to disappoint, you begin to grab at a moment's notice, a spice here, a can there, and soon you're playing a balancing act with numerous items and gadgets resembling a cheap imitation of Rachel Ray on Thirty Minute Meals. Now, before the emails start pouring in, you're neither cheap and Rachel is a total godsend to so many of us that yearn to come up with dinner ideas that will wow the family in only 30 minutes prep time. She is a total 10!

But you've done all this before and this time you want to have an easy and simple moment in the kitchen, yet still please those that have come to expect great things from you. After all, by now you're following a dozen or more blogs, have a disk full of recipes, and have come to be fond of the room you once feared like a visit to the dentist, the kitchen. Today is the day you will come to realize when less is more, flavor does not have to be sacrificed.

Two ingredients, three condiments, and a shake of the salt and pepper, and you'll have a dish that is bursting with flavor at the delight of your guests. Freshly peeled tomatoes stuffed with peas in a creamy sauce will be a total win in your column, guaranteed. Here is the short list of needs:

5 medium fresh tomatoes
1 package of frozen peas
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 teaspoons of Dijon style mustard
1 tablespoon of horse radish
salt and pepper to taste

Start by peeling your tomatoes. You want to have a pot of boiling water and a large bowl of ice water. Remove the stems from the tomatoes and one at a time place each in the boiling water counting out 15 seconds. Immediately remove the tomato from the pot and into the ice water. With the tip of a sharp knife, simply pull skin apart where the stem was. The skin will easily be removed.

When you are finished peeling, slice the top of the tomato about 1/2 inch down, and with a melon baller, remove the seeds and excess meat of each tomato. When finished, set aside. Be sure to save the top of the tomatoes you sliced off.

In the same pot of boiling water, add the frozen peas and boil for approximately 3 minutes. Then remove the peas and run cold water over them to cool.

In a medium bowl, add the mayonnaise, mustard, and horse radish, mixing all ingredients well until all is well blended. Taste for flavor. Add some pepper and salt (only if you need it).

Now add the peas to the mixture and carefully stir so that peas are well coated. Once completed, simply get your tomatoes and stuff them, finishing off with fitting the top of the tomatoes. Take any remaining peas and spread them over the bottom of a serving dish and place each tomato over them. Serve chilled. As a garnish, you may sprinkle chopped parsley or basil if you wish. This dish is guaranteed to please!! Bon appetit!

Keep it salad simple.....

In our continuing "Keep it simple" series, salads are a great way of creating and preparing meals that are both quick and very healthy. Here, we're not talking about throwing a few lettuce leaves together and tossing them with dressing. This simple preparation marries fresh green beans, broccoli, and tomatoes in a light savory dressing that works perfect by itself or as a side dish to a sandwich. This salad is full of good vitamins and nutrients and will be particularly pleasing to vegetarians. There isn't a long list of rare or abstract ingredients or spices either, making this a most stress free and user friendly preparation. Finally, the only cooking time you'll have is about 7 minutes in the microwave! How perfect is that for all you searching for healthy fast food?!!

1 pound of fresh green beans
2 cups of broccoli , stems cut out
2 medium fresh tomatoes, seeds removed and julienned
1 clove of garlic, smashed and minced
2 tablespoons of capers

For the dressing:

1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

In a large microwave safe dish, add the green beans, 1/4 cup of water, and a couple pinches of salt. Cover and microwave on high for 3 1/2 minutes. Stir well and add the broccoli, microwave covered for another 3 minutes. Remove and immerse the vegetables in cold water to stop the cooking process. Vegetables will remain semi crisp and bright green.

Cut the two tomatoes in quarters and remove the seeds. Julienne them and add to a large salad bowl. Crush the clove of garlic and mince, then add to bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard. Stir with a spoon until all is well mixed. Finally, add the capers and stir for a second.

When beans and broccoli are cooled, drain and add them to the bowl one handful at a time, stirring in between. Put plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate for about an hour. Now how simple was that? This salad is light and refreshing without any heavy overpowering dressing. The flavors of the vegetables are allowed to be highlighted while the dressing simply enhances the flavors.

Sizzling summer temperatures is no time to cook... unless we're talking scallops

OK, it's been a week since the last post, a week of hot sizzling weather in the Pacific Northwest. This is no time to cook with the highs reaching 98 (38c) during the day. The last thing one wants to do is crank up the oven or set the burners on high; however, exceptions and sacrifices can be made when the urge for fresh sea scallops set in. That's exactly what happened today. It was just the small burner for just a few minutes it must be said and in the end, any small amount of discomfort was well worth it. Scallops in a seafood rub, pan fried, and served over a bed of baby greens was pure delight.

Start with a seafood rub. You can find prepared seafood rub in your local store or you can make it from scratch. Making it from scratch will save you money and you'll have total control over the sodium level being used. A little of this and a little of that and you'll be amazed as to how it enhances flavors. For this home made rub, the following ingredients were used:

1 tablespoon of fine bread crumbs
1 teaspoon of flour
1/4 teaspoon of fine white pepper
a couple of pinches of lemon pepper (if available)
a couple of pinches of salt
a couple of pinches of garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar
zest from one lemon
1/2 teaspoon of Wasabi powder
a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes

In a jar or container with a lid, add all the ingredients and shake well so that everything gets well blended. Then prepare your scallops. You will need 10 large sea scallops for 2 servings. Rinse scallops well and then slice them in halves. Set them in a bowl and squeeze the juice from the lemon over them. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then drain the excess lemon juice out.

Add the scallops to the container with the rub, tightly seal and shake well so that all the scallops will be well coated with the rub. Now heat a tablespoon of olive oil and tablespoon of butter in a saute pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add the scallops and saute for about a minute on each side until lightly browned. Don't over cook these jewels or you will get nothing but chewy texture and you don't want that. When ready, remove them from the pan and set them on a towel and allow to cool a bit.

While scallops are cooling, prepare your salad dressing. You will need:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
a couple tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic well minced

Add all the ingredients to a salad bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the baby green lettuce of your choice, 1/2 tomato diced, and toss well so that all is well coated. Finally, add the scallops and toss one final time lightly. Serve on a chilled plate and enjoy.

Warm Potato Salad explodes with flavors!

We will all have made the traditional potato salad by summer's end with tons of mayo and onions. We will also have probably gained a few pounds and added a few points to our cholesterol count. Now it's time to have potato salad that you can eat and not feel guilty having seconds. Lighter without sacrificing flavor, Warm Potato salad is a wonderful summer salad that is more of the tradition of the French version than the American one. It is certainly one that you should give a try. When speaking of warm, we're not talking "hot". The potatoes have cooled to luke warm temperature and it is closer to room temp than anything else.

The ingredients are as follows for a group of 4:

5 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes
4 fresh eggs
2 nice handfuls of French style green beans
2 tablespoons of fresh minced garlic
3 tablespoons of fresh Tarragon, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of anchovy paste (or 2 anchovies, crush)
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of coarse ground pepper
salt to taste, but start with 1/2 teaspoon
3 tablespoons of capers
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of white balsamic vinegar (or rice vinegar)

Start by bringing a pot of water to boiling. Add the potatoes (unpeeled) and boil until you can stick a fork in and there's little or no resistance, usually about 20 minutes or so. Remove the potatoes but leave the water in the pot boiling. Let the potatoes sit for a few minutes until they have cooled slightly and can be handled without getting burned. They should peel very easy. Leave whole for now.

In the pot of boiling water, add your eggs and boil until they are between soft boiled and hard boiled. This can be a hit or miss but I have found that it takes no more than 4 to 5 minutes. You want to leave a bit of the yolk soft so that it will mix with the potatoes and dressing. When they have boiled, immediately take them out of the water and transfer them to a bowl of cold water. Again, leave the water boiling.

Now add the green beans in the same pot and boil for about 4 minutes until they are just al dente and still bright green. Remove them and transfer to a bowl of cold water so they don't continue to cook. Now you can dump the boiling water, it's no longer needed.

Cut the potatoes in halves and set them in a large bowl. Next, add the beans and capers. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, add the ingredients for your dressing. Start with the anchovy paste, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. Don't be afraid of the use of anchovy paste. Your dressing and salad will not have a fishy flavor whatsoever. You may actually place all these ingredients in a mortar and crush them all together until a nice paste has been achieved. Now add the Dijon mustard and vinegar, mixing the ingredients well with a spoon. While stirring, slowly add the olive oil until it is well incorporated. You may add a bit more olive oil than stated if you wish, there's no harm. I usually add a bit more.

Once all is well blended together, pour it into the bowl with the potatoes and green beans. With your hands, gently mix all the ingredients together until everything is coated with the dressing. Shell your eggs and cut them in halves. The yolk should have a thick creamy consistency and some of it should be harder. Add them to the salad and very carefully toss with your hands again.

Finally, add the fresh tarragon and give one brief last toss before serving. There you go. That's all there is to it. For some it may seem like this is complicated or laborious. Rest assured it couldn't be further from the truth. This salad is very easy to make and oh so wonderful to eat. Serve as a side dish with your favorite meat or fish. You can even serve over a leaf of bib lettuce for a nice presentation. As a topper, cut a few more tarragon leaves and sprinkle over the top. Enjoy. We all did!

Tomato Seed Salad Dressing

Remember me telling you to save the tomato seeds and pulp in our last recipe? Well, now you will use it to make a wonderful salad dressing. There was about a cup of pulp from the five tomatoes we seeded. Here's the recipe for a wonderful dressing:

To the tomato pulp, add 1/3 cup of rice vinegar
1 1/2 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper
couple of nice pinches of sugar

Add all ingredients in a jar with a lid and vigorously shake to mix completely. This makes about 3 cups of wonderful salad dressing. Store in the fridge for when you need it.

This salad dressing will work wonderful with chilled, steamed asparagus, as well as a simple salad of sliced heirloom tomatoes.  Enjoy!

The most most perfectly cooked lentil you'll ever prepare

On several occasions, lentils has been featured on this site,  cooked as a stew, served as a side dish, or chilled as a salad. One of the characteristics of cooked lentils has always been that they tend to break down and don't retain their shape. The darker, green, French lentils work best in retaining shape, but will eventually break out of their casing, depending on how long you cook them. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could cook them and they woudn't break down or get mushy, unless of course, you wanted to make a soup?

Well, the waiting is over and I have found a great way to turn out beautifully cooked lentils that will be present themselves well either hot or cilled. Using those darker green French lentils, bring 3 cups of water, salt, and a teaspoon of olive oil to a vigorous boil. Then add one cup of uncooked, rinsed, lentils to the water and bring back to a boil. Immediately cover and remove from heat. Allow the covered lentils to sit for 30 minutes. Do not uncover or check them at all during that time. After 30 minutes, taste a few of them for doneness. They should still be firm but cooked all the way through. Now, rinse them in cold water. You now have perfectly cooked lentils that are ready for serving as a salad or side dish.

Pictured here, are the lentils prepared as a salad with a drizzle of olive oil and rice vinegar. Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper for taste. As a final touch, sprinkle with oven roasted almond slivers.You may, if you wish, microwave the lentils for a couple minutes and toss with a couple of tablespoons of melted butter.

If you are a lover of lentils, you are urged to try this method of cooking. You will not be disappointed. Be sure to use the French lentil version of this bean. Make quantities ahead of time and freeze what you don't use. You will always have some ready at a moment's notice when the need arises down the road.

Lentils are a cool veg when cooled for Lemon Lentil Salad

Lentils, one of the great legumes of its category. These little beans are so full of nutrients and are a wonderful source of protein. No wonder they are always on the grocery lists of so many vegetarians. This is not to say that the rest of us meat eaters haven't fallen in love with them either. On the contrary, lentils can be found in most kitchen cabinets and pantries around. Most of us are familiar with the wonderful soups and stews these beans make. If you go to the archives of this blog, you will find such recipes; however, chilled lentils in salads are a lesser known use. Now I know there are a lot of you in the know that are the exception. But let me talk about a wonderful way of preparing chilled lentils that you will find absolutely refreshing, full of flavor, and oh so healthy. I call this recipe Lemon Lentil Salad.

This recipe uses the French green lentils that are deeper in color and are different than other lentils in that they are more round and tend to hold their shape when cooked. They have a wonderful rich flavor and are ideal when creating salads. I strongly recommend using this type of lentil when preparing this dish. Here's what we need:

1 1/2 cups of dry French lentils
6 cups of water
1 small shallot, minced (optional)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 green onions, finely chopped
Zest and juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

This recipe will take about an hour from start to finish. When you have put this together, please chill in your fridge for at least an hour before serving. Options for this dish may also include 1 teaspoon of ginger paste and chopped mint leaves.

Start by bringing 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Once water is boiling, add the lentils and boil for about 40 minutes or so. You want to check them so they aren't over cooked, so at 30 minutes check them. When they are al dente, they are ready. They should still retain their wonderful shape. Once ready, remove them from the stove top and immediately strain them and run cold water over them for a few minutes. This will stop the cooking process. Once well drained, transfer them to a large bowl and add the parsley, green onions, and minced shallots, toss gently with a large serving spoon. Cover with plastic and place in your fridge.

While lentils are cooling, prepare your dressing. In a small bowl, add the olive oil, the lemon juice, salt and pepper and blend vigorously until the olive oil begins to emulsify. You may if you wish, add a half teaspoon of Dijon mustard or a teaspoon of rice vinegar. This is a very forgiving dish, meaning that it has no problem with added ingredients. Once well mixed, add the dressing to the lentils and gently toss. Return lentils to the fridge until well chilled. This dish may be served on a bed of Boston (butter) lettuce and can either be served as a salad course or an appetizer. It's absolutely wonderful. I'm serious!

Healthy eating must include a wonderful Butter Lettuce with Red Peppers

I would imagine that many people have included eating healthier as one of their New Year's resolutions. I for one have put that on the top of my list. By the second week of January, I usually go back to eating what I like. I must confess however, that many of the things I like tend to be healthy. I've decided to help out with all those New Year's Gotta Healthier resolutions by presenting some of the healthier recipes from time to time. A couple of days ago, you will recall that I presented you with an open face pork loin sandwich, which is a healthier alternative to the norm. Today, let's back that up with a wonderful refreshing salad of butter lettuce, roasted red peppers, chick peas (garbanzo beans), baby deep green capers, grated Parm or Gruyere, and a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. This salad is refreshing, low calories, low fat, and wonderful fiber. Treat yourself to another one person lunch sometime this week and serve this.

A small head of butter lettuce
1 cup of chick peas (garbanzo beans)
1/4 cup of baby capers
2 medium red peppers
1/2 cup of grated Parm or Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup of olive oil
Juice from one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Start by roasting your red peppers and then peeling them. It's very easy. Preheat the oven to 400. Place the peppers on the middle rack and roast for about 30 minutes, turning them every 15 minutes. They should have some charred peaks when ready, but please.... not burned to a crisp, you don't want them to look like coal. If they are, just start over, LOL. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to sit for about 20 minutes. Finally, remove them from the bowl and with a sharp knife, start at the stem and simply peel. The skin should come right off. Slice the peppers lengthwise into quarters and remove the seeds and stem. Your roasted peppers are ready. Isn't that easy???

Now get your lettuce ready by carefully tearing apart the leaves. With your hands, cut the leaves in half. Don't use a knife, as I have found for some odd reason cutting them with a knife bruises the cut ends and they turn brown. Rinse the lettuce over cold water and pat them dry. I have found that if you have a large kitchen towel, you can place the lettuce in the center, grab all four corners like you're going to wrap something, and then just swing the towel with the lettuce. The moisture is soaked up by the towel by centrifical force. Isn't that cool?

Now add the lettuce, capers, chick peas, and peppers into a bowl, mix your olive oil and lemon juice together, along with the salt and pepper, and pour over your salad and stir gently. Don't be afraid to use your hands, they work pretty well. Finally, serve into two portions and sprinkle the cheese over each to finish. Oh my, did I say two portions? And this was to be lunch for one. Did I mention I was coming over?

Asian Sesame Noodle Salad.... An inspiration from a friend

I love creating recipes and trying them out on my dinner guests. I do a lot of reading so that I can continue to sharpen my knowledge of the culinary arts and by doing so, I am able to be inspired to come up with new ideas. For the most part, my guests have never been disappointed. My inspiration doesn’t stop at the book cover’s closing, however. People around me have been very inspirational in opening my mind to new ideas, flavors, ingredients, and preparations.

The recipe that we are about to prepare today is an inspiration from a long time friend of mine. She introduced me to Asian style salads more than 20 years ago. Although I have made changes, added this and subtracted that, I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t share the creation of this recipe with her. To this day, this is still one of my all time favorite salads. Thanks Ms. H.T.

I call this recipe pure and simple, Asian Sesame Noodle Salad. There are many versions of noodle salads out there; however, I think you’ll find this one to be absolutely delightful. If you like a bit of hot and a lot of Asian, you will certainly agree. Furthermore, I have found that you can heat this up and serve it as a side dish, making this salad very versatile. Finally, I can safely say in continuing with our theme of simplicity, this recipe is very easy to put together. Here’s what we need:

1 package of Chow Mien Noodles (12 oz.)
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup of green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves, rolled and julienned
1/4 cup of fresh parsly, finely chopped
1/4 cup of pimientos
1/4 cup of sesame oil
1/8 cup of rice vinegar
1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons of dry pepper flakes (for heat)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/3 cup of toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of ginger paste
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Get all your ingredients together and get all your chopping out of the way. In a large pot, boil water with a tablespoon of vegetable oil and add your noodles. Chow Mien noodles, even though they are dry, tend to cook much faster that regular noodles. With that said, you want to boil them for only about 4 to 5 minutes because you want them to be al dente, not overcooked and mushy. While noodles are cooking, get a bowl of ice water ready. At the 4 minute mark, check the noodles for doneness. If ready, immediately strain them and then transfer them to the ice water. You may need to add more ice to keep the water cold. Set the bowl aside to allow for complete cooling.

Set a small frying pan on a burner set to high. Once heated, add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil to the pan and quick saute your shallots and garlic for only 30 seconds. Remove and pour into a large mixing bowl. In the mixing bowl, add all the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT THE SESAME SEEDS, and whisk briskly so that ingredients are well blended. Once noodles are cooled, drain liquid through a strainer and rinse noodles with cold running water. Add noodles to mixing bowl with ingredients and toss well so everything is completely blended. Finally, add the sesame seeds and toss gently. Pour salad into a nice serving platter and sprinkle of few more sesame seeds and serve. There you have it. It's that simple. And it tastes so good, your guests won't believe how quick it was to make.

Serve with a nice Saki, chilled prawns with a dipping sauce of of ginger vinegrette and finish with a green tea sorbet. For the dipping sauce, use 1 part sesame oil, 1 part rice vinegar, 1/2 part water, 1 teaspoon of ginger paste, 1 teaspoon of honey, and whisk until well blended. Enjoy.

Wilted Brussel Salad

I love Brussel Sprouts; however, throughout the years, if I wanted to fix them, I'd have to do it when eating alone. So one day I decided not to tell any of my dinner guests what I was going to make as a salad. I decided to come up with a different way of presenting and fixing them. Well, I came up with this recipe prior to my dinner party and tried it on myself first. I fell in love with this salad. I was delighted to find that everyone loved it as well. It was then that I knew I had come up with a pretty good recipe for such a hated vegetable! This is a very simple recipe and takes no time to make. Here's what we need:

Serves 4

6 Thick slices of plain bacon
12 Large heads of Brussel Sprouts
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

1. Cut the stem of each sprout so that you can loosen up each leaf carefully.

2. Once you can remove the leaf, cut the bottom off a little bit more. Continue until you're left with a sprout that's about 3/4 inch in diameter. Save the unused sprout part for a future dish.

3. Rinse leaves in cold water and set aside.

4. Slice bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.

5. In a 10 inch saute pan, spray cooking spray at the bottom and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Heat over medium high heat.

6. Saute bacon until browned but not to a crisp. Drain and set on a paper towel. Clean pan.

7. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the 10 inch pan on medium high heat.

8. Quickly saute Brussel Sprout leaves for a couple of minutes or until they become semi wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.

9. Remove from heat and drain out excess oil. Set in large bowl.

10. Add the bacon to the bowl and toss with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Serve lukewarm. Enjoy.

It Doesn't Get Better Than This

Steak And Salad. What A Marriage!

1 Saute/Frying pan (8" diameter at bottom)

1/2 lb Tenderloin or Sirloin Beef

3 cloves of garlic

2 pads of butter

1/2 cup of Burgundy wine

1 large handful of parsley chopped

3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil

Course ground pepper

Salt

6 large leaves of Romaine lettuce

There are few things in life that get much better than this. At the same time, there are few folks that really can pull off a perfect steak and salad meal. I will be the first to admit that I have made a mistake on occasion in the past. I do very well nowdays with this, however. The ironic thing about this dinner is that it is very easy to put together. The secret is in knowing how to cook your steak to the level of "done" that you desire. I am going to show you how to make this dish exactly as you like it and when finished, you will know how simple it was to do. By the way, this recipe is for two people. Additionally, remember to have all the ingredients together and ready to use. Prepping is very important.

Let's start by spraying your frying pan with Pam so that we don't have a lot of sticking going on. Set your heat to high to start, heat pan a bit, and add about 3 tablespoons of your olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Allow oil to heat until you begin to see it smoke. The secret in getting your meat nice and caramelized is in getting your oil nice and hot before frying.

Now that the oil is nice and hot, add your meat and make sure that it is UNSEASONED. Salt added to raw meat will draw out the moisture and your finished steak may end up dryer than otherwise. Since cooking time plays a role in this, you may not notice a measureable difference, but play it safe and wait on the salt. Pepper will simply burn and lose its character, so wait on the pepper also. In this dish, you will be salting and peppering the sauce that we will make after the steak has been cooked. Allow 2 minutes on each side for rare, 3 minutes for medium to medium rare. I am doing 2 minutes each side.

While cooking, if your pan is getting too hot, you may turn your heat to medium high. You don't want a charred pan bottom. Once your meat is cooked to your liking, it should have a nice caramelized outer layer. Remove from pan and set on a plate uncovered. Now remove half the oil from the pan and turn your heat to medium, add your garlic, then the wine, and with a spatula, rub the bottom of the pan. This is called deglazing. Stir and add your butter. Cook about a minute or two to reduce liquid and allowing the alcohol to evaporate. Sauce should begin changing from red to a deeper reddish brown. Now add the parsley, salt, and pepper, stir, and give it a little taste for proper seasoning. Then for the final 30 seconds, add your steak back in along with any juices left in the plate. Take the steak out, slice into a few thick pieces, and spoon sauce over the top.

Hand cut your Romaine lettuce and toss with salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Serve on a separate dish. Enjoy your meal with a nice Merlot, Pinot, or Bordeaux. And don't forget that nice crusty French bread so that you can soak up all that sauce. Yum! (photos by D Roche)