Spicy Tuna & Sticky Rice at home??

Andrew and I have been doing a lot of researching on our honeymoon destination.. Hawaii!
We are so so excited to get there, probably for different reasons. Andrew's looking forward to taking a break from law school and beaching it with a frozen chick drink with an umbrella. I'm looking forward to checking out the amazing seafood culture on the islands.  I've heard nothing but amazing things about the little "poke" shops all around Hawaii, and I cannot WAIT to try them all!

"Poke" is a traditional raw salad or appetizer served in Hawaii. It's the Hawaiian verb for "section" or "to slice and cut." Poke usually consists of cubed Ahi tuna marinated with sea salt, soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil and various other herbs and spices.

I whipped up a little at home... This is something that can be made and eaten on the spot or left to marinate in the frig for a bit.  I actually made a more "Americanized" version that's a little closer to a ceviche. For those of you that are a little nervous about eating raw fish- the acid in my recipe actually "cooks" the fish.  It becomes very very tender and filled with flavor!

It's important to buy a Sushi-grade tuna (or salmon if you'd prefer). You can ask your fishmonger at your grocery store if they recommend a sushi-grade fish. If you're unsure, a true Ahi tuna (wild caught, not frozen) from Whole Foods is always a good follow up. It can, however, be a little pricey.

Nutritional Facts:
There are only about 31 calories per ounce of raw tuna, it's a very low calorie protein.
There are tons of Omega 3 fatty acids, and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.
Tuna ia also high in tryptophan

Ingredients for Poke:
5 ounces            Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna, cut in small cubes
1/4 cup              Rough chopped parsley (or cilantro)
1/4 cup              Finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup              Finley chopped red onion
3 tbsps               Srirachi
1/2 cup              Fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup              Extra Virgin Olive Oil

good salt and pepper to taste (lots)

Directions for Poke:
Combine tuna, parsley, green onions and red onions in a bowl.  In a blender or food processor, combine dressing (sriracha, lime juice, EVOO & Salt and pepper). Once blended, add mixture to tuna mixture and mix well.




Serving Instructions:
I served mine with sticky purple rice (because I'm tired of basic brown rice).

*Purple Sticky Rice (cook using 2c water to 1c rice)

*Purple Sticky Rice, topped with tuna and then a dallop of homemade salsa, because I can :)


 

Tree-Hugging and Granola

I get lots of slack from Andrew about all of my "tree-huggin" qualities.  He laughs every time I buy some weird herbal mixture when I have a cold instead of going to a doctor.  I do have my reasons for not being too keen on modern medicine, and whether it works or not, I guess we'll never know... Have any of you ever tried putting avocado in your hair? Amazing!!

On to Granola.... one of my FAVORITE breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack/midnightsnack/fourthmeal foods. It's one of those wonderful little foods that you really really can't screw up. It's good on everything, and there are so many different varieties!

While we're on the subject of grains, they are not all created equal.  This is another time that I really emphasize getting good quality ingredients, not "Shurfine" brands.  I get my Steel Cut oats from the farmers market, but you can also find them at any grocery store, in the bulk section of "Whole Foods". You can also use the basic "Quaker" brand, which is fine.

Here's a basic, EASY (did I say easy?) granola recipe that you can alter to your taste to make your own:

 Ingredients for Granola:

4 cups            Oats (I use Steel Cut Oats)

3 handfuls      Unsweetened coconut shreds  (DO NOT get the sweetened one.. too much sugar!)

2 handfuls      Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Pecans, Almonds (or a mixture of all!)

1/4 cup           Coconut Oil

2 tbsps            Raw Honey

1 tbsps           Course Sea Salt

1 handful       Dried fruit (bananas, raisins, cranberries, etc..)
                     

Directions: 

In a large bowl, mix oats, coconut, nuts, coconut oil, and honey until well combined.  (Hint: if honey and oil is solid or not easily combined, you can stick in in the microwave for about 20 seconds which will do the trick).
Pour mixture onto a greased baking sheet evenly spread out. Top with sea salt.  I use Coconut Oil Spray for this (and all other greasing needs in baking).  (Hint: I use a non-stick silpat on the baking sheet to avoid sticking).


Pre-bake photo


Cook in oven at 375 degrees for roughly 10 minutes... you will want to make sure to take it out a few times to stir so that the edges don't burn.
You'll know it's done when all the coconut pieces are browned (and your kitchen smells awesome).
Once finished, toss back in the bowl with the dried fruit, and store in an air tight container.

*Chocolate lovers: you can add extra dark chocolate chips to this too, just make sure that you add them in once granola is cooked and cooled!

Finished goods! 

(ok, this is a picture that I stole from the internet, but I forgot to take a picture of my finished product... it really does look like this, promise.)

Ways to Enjoy granola:

1. In a bowl (like cereal) with milk

2. Over yogurt (I really enjoy it over unsweetened goat yogurt, but you can also top it on plain old     greek)

3. Dessert**- over a little vanilla ice-cream

4. As a topping on a baked fruit (apple, pear, etc.)

5. Add it to the tops of muffins before you bake them

6. Toss it in your salad for a little "crunch"

7. PLAIN (as a snack!)

8. My favorite- mix it in peanut butter for a little crunch and extra goodness on your PB&J

Adventures in Pasta

Making homemade pasta can seem a little intimidating... however, it's so much fun and so so easy!
It's also a very cost effective way to make food last for a long time, which Andrew and I can appreciate while living on a law school budget.

On Sundays I notice that I tend to use every dish in my kitchen.. trying out all sorts of new dishes that I've researched, or trying to use some of the delicious produce that I just purchased at the Farmer's market the day before.  I SHOULD have taken a picture of our sink, post meal... it wasn't pretty!!
Fortunately, Andrew and I made an agreement that he does the dishes since I cook... He should have known that marrying a chef (and being in law school!!!) this is a very very bad deal. His loss..

For those carbo-phobes out there, here are a couple of ways to make a traditional pasta dish so good for you:

1. Whole Wheat Flour
I substituted Semolina flour for Whole Wheat White flour... I understand that it's a faux pas among the Italians, but I won't tell if you don't.

2. Use lots of Vegetables
I used tons of delicious vegetables that I purchased the day before.  This pasta was more of a stew with tons of vitamins and minerals.  It's also very important to NOT cook the vegetables down too much.. This loses a lot of the important good stuff... Vitamin K, Vitamin C, etc.
For this dish- I used fresh Kale, Heirloom Cherry tomatoes, & Meyer Lemon slices/
You can also add carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.

3. Use HOMEMADE Bone Broth and a little Cream for the sauce
I'll save my rant on bone broth for another post... To keep it simple, it's awesome for you.
Using cream- let's get this straight... you need roughly 30% good fat in your diet in order to be sufficient in fatty acids. Just go ahead and put a little cream; it won't kill you.
For this sauce, I used full fat goat yogurt from my friends at the farmer's market.. You can also just use plain old cream.

Here's a recipe for the homemade pasta
Disclaimer: it's not pretty. I don't have a pasta machine, and you don't need one... you just need your hands and a fork and knife

Pasta Ingredients
4 cups      Whole Wheat White flour (sifted to get the big wheat chunks out)
1 tbps       Sea Salt (fine)
2              large eggs (Pastured)
1 lb          full fat Ricotta
1/2 cup    Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions for dough:

Make a "well" in a large bowl with the flour, dump all ingredients in the center and slowly work together.  You may need a little more flour if the dough is too wet, or a little more cream if it's too dry.



Once well combined, place dough on a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes.
Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  (Hint: while in the frig- you can make your sauce or get your pot of water boiling)

Take dough out of frig; cut a chunk off the end and roll out flat like cookie dough (roughly 1/3" thick).


(after I finished my pasta for the evening, this is what's left... It's a LOT of dough!)

Cut this piece into 1/2"-3/4" thick slices.  Take each slice and roll between your hands into little worms.  Cut the little worms into 2-3" long pieces.  Make a light indentation with each with your fork.


(told ya, not cute.. but who cares!!? It's covered in sauce, anyway)

Make enough pasta for you and your family.. You can cook it and refrigerate for a few days.  You can also freeze the dough for a couple months.. This recipe makes a LOT of noodles. I usually freeze some dough for "clean out the frig" lasagna days.

To cook:
Well salted pot of boiling water.
Cook roughly 5 minutes; noodles will float to the top when done.

Ingredients for Northern Italian Sauce:
1/2            small onion, tiny diced (brunoise)
1/2 cups     Dry white wine
2 tbsps      raw honey             
1               Large Meyer Lemon, sliced thinly
1 tbsp       fennel seeds
1/2 tbsp    coriander seeds
2 tbsps      Italian Seasoning (or mixture of basil, oregano, marjoram)
1 pinch     hungarian paprika
1 pinch     chili powder
2               Bay Leaves
2 cups      Bone Broth (chicken/veal/beef)
sea salt, cracked pepper and garlic  to taste
small handful of Capers
small handful of raisins
small handful of olives
large handful fresh kale
large handful cherry tomatoes
***please don't freak out if you don't have all of these ingredients. It's REALLY not a big deal. Any somewhat mediterranean spices/ingredients will work well.

Directions for Sauce:
Heat Medium Sauce Pan on high heat with a tiny bit of olive oil/butter/coconut oil (whatever is in your cabinet). Add onion and cook until caramelized. Add white wine, honey, lemon slices, fennel, coriander, italian spices, paprika, chili powder, and bay leaves. Cook until wine reduces by almost half. Reduce heat to medium, add bone broth and let simmer for 12 minutes or so.
Add capers, raisins, olives and cooked pasta; let cook until you're almost ready to eat (minimum 10 minutes)

2-3 minutes before serving, add kale and cherry tomatoes.
ENJOY your hearty, delicious, nutritious meal.

Finished Product 

(I threw in some deer sausage that we had just because I wanted to... surely you don't have to add sausage if you don't want to!) 

Here's the finished plate.. we'll call it rustic.

I served it with roasted chicken and a little freshly grated Romano cheese. 

Looks good, right? Go ahead.. dig in!

xo
Celeste

Welcome to FoodLove!

Here's a go at my blog! 

FoodLOVE is my opportunity to talk about my love affair with food, nutrition and the marriage of the two.  We live in a world of diets, don'ts, low fats and "food-like" products. What happened to real food? Loving food? 

In South Louisiana, food is at the center of everyone's lives. It's a reason to celebrate, the center of every party or get together.. it's a reason to "get down" from the car and come inside.  

This all started with my grandfather, "Papa", who only ate real FULL FAT butter. He cooked just about everything in a cast iron skillet, and he drove "down the bayou" to get shrimp and seafood. He had his favorite produce dealers and was a frequent buyer of "omaha steaks." He appreciated good products, real food, and sharing it with the rest of our large family. 

I'll be sharing some of his recipes that I've tweaked over the years, some of my own, and some that I've gathered from friends and colleagues.  Let me know how you like em'!

Now go ahead... dig in. 

And while you're at it... enjoy it! 

xo-

Celeste

Here are a couple pictures I took at the Farmer's Market this morning.... gotta love that spring produce!!!

Shallots and Baby Carrots 

Cabbage! 

Tri-Colored Bell Peppers