Devon's Cooking... Sauteed Tilapia with Almonds and Cherries

Meat in bulk doesn't really sound like a great idea, but when the mecca of free samples and industrial-sized jars of pepperocini (Costco) throws it out there with ridiculously low prices (actually, I'm not even sure they're that low. I am math-challenged, so I can't really figure out if the $30 I'm paying for 3 pounds of beef is a bargain or if I'm getting robbed. Who cares? I love Costco), I can't resist. Dave and I went to Costco last week in search of their delicious Healthy Choice 100-calorie fudge bars (which, incidentally, they were out of) and walked out $180 poorer. Unless you count the 3 pounds of tilapia we purchased... in that case, we feel richer.

So what do you do with 3 pounds of tilapia? Well, if it's just 2 of you, you portion it out into three 1-pound servings and find 3 different recipes to make. This was the first (I can pretty much guarantee you'll see 2 additional tilapia recipes coming down the pipeline in the near future).


SAUTEED TILAPIA WITH ALMONDS AND CHERRIES

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp almonds, sliced
1 pound(s) raw tilapia, four 4 oz fillets
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin, divided
1 small onion(s), chopped
2 Tbsp wine, dry white or dry vermouth (see note)
1/2 cup(s) cherries, sweet, pitted, halved
1/3 cup(s) vegetable broth, reduced-sodium, fat-free
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Directions: Toast the almonds in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-low heat until aromatic and golden, shaking the pan often, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Season fish with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the skillet, then add the fish. Cook until firm and lightly browned, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook about 2 more minutes. Remove fish to four serving plates. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in the skillet, then add the onion. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth or wine; loosen any browned bits of food on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook for 20 seconds, then add the cherries, broth and thyme. Heat until simmering; cook for 30 seconds to reduce slightly. Divide the sauce and toasted almonds among the fish. Serve at once. Yields 1 fillet plus 1/4 of sauce per serving.

Devon's Cooking...Lamb with Figs, Zucchini-stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes and Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

All I have to say about this meal is YUM. Okay, I'll probably say a little more. But if I do say so myself, this was REALLY GOOD!

I've been so busy with the start of the semester and preparing for my new online class... so I haven't been cooking as much. But we had a great weekend planned last weekend-- since our sailing got cancelled a couple of months ago (see: Lamb Burgers dinner party; alternatively see: one day it rained in San Diego this year), we finally rescheduled our sailing date with the Reinkings and the Stayners for last Sunday. We had a great time and liberated quite a few wine bottles of their contents (and Stayner had a delicious pre-bed G&T for good measure) with Kev and Melissa. And some good food. As I mentioned above.

LEMONY HUMMUS
Ingredients:
1 15-to 16-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 small garlic clove, pressed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions: Puree beans, garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and lemon juice in processor. Add 3 tablespoons oil, sugar, and cumin. Puree until very smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and serve with cut-up carrots, celery and other fresh veggies.

LAMB CHOPS WITH FIGS AND THYME
Ingredients:
Lamb chops:
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
4 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
2 2-pound racks of lamb, trimmed of fat and sinew
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Roasted figs:
12 ripe Kadota figs, halved lengthwise
16 sprigs lemon thyme or regular thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions: For lamb: Combine herbs in small bowl. Rub lamb with olive oil, half of chopped herbs, and garlic; cover and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat grapeseed oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper; sear until brown on both sides, 5 minutes total. Transfer lamb to large rimmed baking sheet; roast to desired doneness, about 20 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to cutting board; let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature; reserve baking sheet for figs.

For figs: Place figs and thyme sprigs on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Roast in oven at 425°F for 10 minutes.

Cut lamb racks into individual chops; arrange on plates and place figs alongside.

ZUCCHINI-STUFFED HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
Ingredients:
8 slightly firm medium heirloom tomatoes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 cups white corn kernels (cut from 3 to 4 ears)
2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 cups 1/4-inch cubes zucchini (from about 12 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh epazote or cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)

Directions: Core whole tomatoes, creating 2 1/2-inch opening at top. Using melon baller, scoop out tomato, transferring juices and pulp to small bowl (for filling). Turn tomatoes, cut side down, onto paper towels to drain. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add corn and toss until tender and beginning to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer corn to medium bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same skillet. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Using garlic press, squeeze in garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes and reserved tomato pulp and juices. Sauté until tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in zucchini, epazote, oregano, and corn. Sauté until sauce thickens and zucchini is just tender, about 8 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange tomato shells, cut side up, on small baking sheet. Spoon in filling, mounding high. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake tomatoes until filling is heated through and tomato shells are just tender, about 25 minutes.

LEMON ICE CREAM SANDWICHES WITH BLUEBERRY SWIRL
Ingredients:

For lemon ice cream:
2 pint premium vanilla ice cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For blueberry compote:
2 cups blueberries (10 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar
2 (3-by 2 1/2-inch) strips lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

For sandwich layers:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Make lemon ice cream: Transfer ice cream to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 30 percent power in 10-second intervals, stirring, until softened, about 50 seconds total. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Spread ice cream thinly in a 13-by 9-inch baking dish and freeze while making compote and sandwich layers.

Make blueberry compote: Cook blueberries, sugar, and zest in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, thoroughly crushing blueberries with a potato masher, until juices are released and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir together lemon juice and cornstarch, then stir into blueberry mixture. Boil, stirring, 1 minute (mixture will thicken). Transfer blueberry compote to a bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour. Discard lemon zest.

Make sandwich layers while compote chills: Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter baking pans and line with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on each side, then butter foil. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter and brown sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, add flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing until just combined. Divide batter between 2 8-inch square baking pans and spread into thin, even layers with offset spatula. Bake until golden-brown but still tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely in pans, about 30 minutes.

Assemble sandwiches: Dollop tablespoons of blueberry compote all over ice cream, then swirl it gently through ice cream with a spoon. Spoon all of ice cream over 1 sandwich layer (in pan) and spread evenly using clean offset spatula. Invert second sandwich layer over ice cream, pressing gently to form an even sandwich. Wrap baking pan in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

Transfer sandwich to a cutting board using overhang. Trim edges if desired, then cut into 8 pieces.

Devon's Cooking...a Fiesta of Food

As you may have read, my last dinner party was a little overly-ambitious. So when we decided to have a few friends over for dinner a couple of weeks ago, I decided to scale back my expectations (and my effort!). I also had scheduled drinks with my buddy from college, Mike Levy, right smack in the middle of the day, so I couldn't afford to have a broken-pasta-machine-snafu this time around! So for our dinner with the Heavy's (including Heav's sister, Audra) and the Billingers, I mean Davies, we made a great little fiesta spread of homemade salsa, homemade guac, carne asada, marinated tilapia, marinated portobellos, grilled veggies, black bean and corn salad and baked apple chimichangas for dessert! Jen also made a kick-ass sangria, but you'll have to ask her for the recipe (and I apologize in advance for the headache that comes as a result the next morning!).

HOMEMADE SALSA
Ingredients:
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 jalapeno (or more if you like it really spicy!)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (you should probably use cilantro, but I HATE cilantro, so I don't use it!)
1 medium onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Place all ingredients into blender and blend to desired consistency. Enjoy with chips!

HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE
Ingredients:
4 ripe avocados
1 lemon
1 packet of that awesome guac mix from the grocery store produce aisle
Directions: Follow the instructions on the packet (hey, I said I was lowering expectations!). Serve with chips or raw veggies!

CARNE ASADA
Ingredients:
3 lbs. flank steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup oil (you can omit this if you want-- it makes the meat a little more moist, but it's fine without for far fewer calories)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Directions: Marinate in a plastic Ziploc bag overnight. Grill to desired done-ness on an outdoor BBQ.

MARINATED TILAPIA
Ingredients:
1 lb tilapia
1 packet Taco Seasoning
Directions: Marinate overnight. Grill about 4 minutes on an outdoor BBQ. For portabellos, do the same (but not in the same bag as the fish-- that would be gross).

GRILLED VEGGIES
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini
2 medium sweet onions
8-16 green onions
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
Directions: Slice all veggies to uniform size; place on grill tray and spray with cooking spray. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill until soft, about 5 minutes for zucchini, grilled onions and about 8 minutes for peppers and sweet onions.

CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD
Ingredients:
10 oz. frozen corn, defrosted
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup salsa
3 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Mix all ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours.

I'm not going to include the Apple Chimichangas recipe because it wasn't very good... but I'm workin' on it!

Devon's Cooking.... Sugar Cookies and French Toast

Dave's brother, Ian, and his wife, Ashley, have four gorgeous daughters who we were lucky enough to have in San Diego for almost a week last week. The girls-- Kailey (8), Kara (7), Kassie (4) and Korrine (2)-- are amazing... gorgeous, funny, well-behaved and cool to hang with.

Kassie is a tow-head and with two brunette parents, people often ask where she came from. Ian and Ashley used to answer: "She looks like her Uncle David," but some people took this the wrong way. I joked that they could say she looked like "the milkman" instead, but realized that instead of implicating my husband as the father, I was implicating my Dad! :)

But I digress-- though Kailey, Kara and Korrine don't look as much like Dave's children, they all sort of got to be our kids Tuesday night when we had a sleepover with all four of them. For those of you who've been to our house, you know it sucks for kids-- white leather, no toys, hard surfaces...so we decided to keep everyone occupied by a) making everything we ate from scratch and b) getting everyone so full they would sleep through the night. Mission Accomplished!: we made homemade pizzas for dinner, sugar cookies for dessert and french toast for breakfast the next morning. It was a feast any kid could enjoy-- oh yeah, and the girls liked it almost as much as we did!

Individual Pizzas
Ingredients:
1 package Trader Joe's fresh pizza dough
cheese
turkey pepperoni
diced onion
diced mushrooms
Pizza sauce

Directions: Sautee onions and mushrooms with salt, pepper and oregano until soft. Separate dough into four and roll out each individually. Put sauce, toppings and cheese on your dough and bake about 8-10 minutes.

Rolled Sugar Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely. Frost as you like!

FRENCH TOAST
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
8 slices thickly sliced french bread

Directions: In medium bowl, combine all ingredients but bread; whisk until well combined. Dredge each slice of bread in mix and place on hot griddle or skillet over medium heat (or 375 if you use a skillet). Cook each side about 4 minutes or until done.

Devon's Cooking...Tandoori Chicken

Dave has this joke that he loves to tell. I apologize in advance for a few things: a) this joke is very un-PC; b) it's actually completely illogical; and c) if you ever have Dave tell you this joke in person, your eardrums will not be pleased. It goes like this: "How do you sell a deaf guy a chicken?" You respond with a blank stare because you have no idea. Dave, in his loudest voice, then responds to his own question: "WANNA BUY A CHICKEN?!?!"

I already apologized. It's a bad joke. But I always think of it when I buy chicken at the grocery store-- this week was no exception. This week's chicken purchase led to a delicious, but ultimately disastrous, feast of "Tandoori" chicken. The recipe below will explain how this got so delicious... but not how it got so disastrous. Here's what happened: we have a lovely toaster oven that we received as a wedding gift; we now have a big enough kitchen for said toaster oven...sort of. We still use the nice flat-top of the t.o. (not to be confused with T.O., who we're going to see play in a Browns-Bills game in Buffalo this October) for storage. Namely, my much-used food scale often sits on top of the t.o., despite bold and oft-repeated warnings posted all over the t.o., shrilly reminding me that NOTHING should go on the top becuase it gets HOT. The warnings are not for naught-- that t.o. DOES get HOT! I realized this ten minutes too late as my delicious tandoori chicken was cooking perfectly in the t.o.-- but instead of aromatic curry, I started smelling burnt plastic. You guessed it-- my food scale was melting into the t.o. I grabbed the scale, searing two fingers in the process, and, finding that, despite my rescue efforts, the scale had melted (and I forgot to take a photo!). The new joke should go: "How do you sell an illiterate home cook a new food scale?"

Ingredients:
2 tbsp tandoori spice mix
1 medium onion(s), chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces

Directions: In large zip-close plastic bag combine spice mix, onion, garlic, yogurt and lime juice. Make diagonal slashes across chicken about 1 inch apart. Add chicken. Refrigerate 6 to 24 hours. Heat broiler. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place chicken on sheet, cover with sauce. Broil 4 inches from element until cooked through, about 15 minutes. (If spice mix is unavailable, substitute: 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger, 1 1/2 tsp coriander, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.)

Devon's Cooking...Roasted Veggie Lasagna

Okay, this blog should officially change its name from "Devon's Cooking..." to "How Many Varieties of Lasagna and Burgers Can I Come Up With?" What can I say? We like lasagna and burgers-- they're easy, they taste good....

In the past, as ye faithful ten readers know-- I've done wild and crazy things like use Matzoh crackers as stand-ins for lasagna noodles. Well, here's an even crazier lasagna-noodle doppelganger: thinly sliced zucchini! This is a very vegetarian meal and surprisingly delicious, especially as leftovers the next night (why is it that pasta-- even faux pasta-- always tastes better the night after it's made?). I had half a loaf of french bread in the freezer which I defrosted (i.e. left on the counter for a few hours) and slathered with some homemade garlic butter (butter + lots of garlic + a few shakes each of dried basil, salt, black pepper + a teeny bit of cayenne pepper) and wrapped in foil...and then tossed in the toaster oven. The lasagna: va bene! Just like my Nana would make (if she were a vegetarian).

ROASTED VEGGIE LASAGNA
Ingredients:
3 large zucchini
1 tbsp table salt
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 small onion(s), finely chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
12 oz mushroom(s), white button
3 cup(s) tomato(es), freshly chopped (about 3 beefsteak tomatoes)
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 pound(s) shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese

Directions: Slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch thick strips. Place in a bowl and salt generously, tossing once or twice to coat well. Lay strips on paper towels on your work surface. Set aside 1 hour. Meanwhile, spray a large saucepan with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms; cook, stirring often, until they give off their liquid and it reduces to a glaze, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, nutmeg and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down and the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Blot any moisture off the zucchini strips with paper towels. Use one third of the zucchini strips to line the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, laying them lengthwise like you would lasagna noodles. Top evenly with one third of the sauce, then one third of the shredded cheese. Place half the remaining zucchini strips on top, as before, then top evenly with half the remaining sauce and half the remaining cheese. Repeat this process one more time: using the remaining zucchini, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces; serve.