Seared Tuna in Tomato-Basil Sauce, Green Beans with Lemon Butter, & Avocado and Lemon on Toasted Rustic Bread

Talk about YUM!  This meal is delicious!  I know I've been saying that a lot lately with these posts, but I've been trying a lot of new recipes and have been pleasantly surprised!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Prep work makes your life easier when you cook.  If you have all the ingredients ready to go before you begin, it makes the recipe that much easier for you.  It is less likely for you to burn, over-boil, or forget about something when you are prepared.

A definite asset to this dish is the Avocado and Lemon on Toast.  Oh my goodness is it good.  And so simple.  Cut open two avocados and slice a loaf of bakery bread.  I chose french bread.

Line up the sliced bread and brush with olive oil.  Toast in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Once you slice the avocado, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice then top with salt and pepper.  (I mixed the oil and juice to make a dressing to pour on top.)

Boil water and add green beans.  Blanch the green beans until crisp, 4-5 minutes.  Drain and return beans to the pan.  Add butter and lemon zest.

Cut 1 1/2 pounds of ahi tuna (one inch thick) into one inch chunks.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sear in a pan for 3 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan, place on a plate and tent with foil.

 

Wipe out the pan with paper towel and add two tablespoons of olive oil.  Add one cup of yellow onion and saute for 6-8 minutes.  Add two cups halved cherry tomatoes and wine, simmer until the tomatoes begin to shrivel, 3-5 minutes.  Reduce heat and simmer another 5 minutes.  Add fresh basil, stirring until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.

Take your bread out of the oven and put on a plate.

To serve, put tuna chunks on the plate and add tomato-basil sauce to the top.  Put the avocado spread on the toasted bread (you will be amazed at how yummy this is!).  And add some lemony green beans to your plate!  Enjoy!!

I found this in my Martha Stewart Dinner at Home cookbook, but it is also online on her website.  Click here to see the full recipe:  Seared Tuna in Tomato-Basil Sauce and Green Beans

Pork Kebabs with Thyme, Toasted Bulger with Almonds & Spinach Salad

These kebabs are fantastic! I never would have put orange with pork, don't ask me why, I just never would have thought of it on my own.  This recipe is from Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home cookbook.  This book is fantastic.  I cannot tell you how many recipes I have mae from it.  There is a picture of each recipe too, so you know what it should look like.  I like that!

Start by cutting the pork into one inch pieces and placing them in the marinade.  While they set for 20 minutes.  Get the grill started (if you use charcoal) and start the bulger.

Bulger wheat is delicious and this recipe definitely doesn't disappoint.  You start by putting the dry bulger in the pan and toasting it for about 4 minutes.  Then you add the water, chicken broth, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Bring it all to a boil and then simmer for 10-12 minutes.

Skewer the pork.  The coals should be ready, so dump the chimney and place the grates on top to get hot.

Add the kababs to the grill.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook for about 5 minutes and flip.

Remove the bulger from the heat and take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.  Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of almonds.  Replace lid to keep it warm.

Remove your kebabs and plate with sliced oranges.

Serve your bulger along side the kababs.

Plate with orange slice and fresh baby spinach with balsamic vinigarette. 

Enjoy!!

For these recipes online go to:  Pork Kebabs with Orange and Thyme

                                               Toasted Bulger Pilaf

To purchase the cookbook go to: 

Puff Pancake with Blueberry Sauce

This recipe is extremely easy and very delicious!  Give it a try for a different kind of pancake!  You will love it.  The blueberry sauce is amazing. 

So as I am checking the facebook home page I see this recipe for a Puff Pancake from the Taste of Home.  I have thought about making one before, but just never have tried it.  I looked at the ingredients, had it all on hand, and decided it was a perfect day for a Puff Pancake!  The kids were still asleep, which is rare, so by the time I finished, they were up and ready to eat.  VERY EASY recipe!

Set the oven for 425 degrees.  Once it preheats put your pie plate with 2 tablespoons of butter into the oven for 5 minutes.  For the pancake you simply mix all the ingredients together.  By the time you do that, your butter has melted and you pour it into the pie plate to bake for 20 minutes.

Next you start the sauce.  Add brown sugar, corn starch and orange juice to the pan.

Stir in the blueberries and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and let it thicken.  That is it!  Oh, add your vanilla after it comes off the heat.

Here is what your pancake will look like out of the oven.  (It looks like a giant bowl!)

Serve with blueberry sauce.  I am telling you, this is super easy and SO DELICIOUS.

This was gone in no time!

Is your mouth watering yet?  Just make it.  It's easy!

Taste tester approved.  :)

Puff Pancake with Blueberry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 
  BLUEBERRY SAUCE:
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Place butter in a 9-in. pie plate; place in a 425° oven for 4-5 minutes or until melted. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk. In another small bowl, combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon; whisk in egg mixture until smooth. Pour into prepared pie plate. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until sides are crisp and golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in orange juice until smooth. Stir in blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Serve with pancake. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 275 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 126 mg cholesterol, 111 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein. 

Recipe from THE TASTE OF HOME: Puff Pancake with Blueberry Sauce

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

These gooey brownies are scrumptious!  Dense, fudgy, and gooey would describe my dream brownie.  And this recipe delivers!!!!  I found it in my Martha Stewart Baking Handbook.  I am not a fan of cake-like brownies.  If I wanted cake, I'd bake one.  I like my brownies nice and gooey and chocolatey...the more the better.  I found my new favorite brownie recipe!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a square pan and line it with parchment.

I love any recipe where you mix all the ingredients into one bowl.  I started by melting the 8 oz of chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave.  I know it says to do a double boiler, but once you know how to melt it without burning it in the microwave it is so much easier!!  I usually put the bowl in for 1 minute on 50% power, take it out and stir, then do 30 second increments until it is totally melted.  

I also added all of the ingredients one at a time to the mixture (no I didn't sift, no I didn't whisk the eggs before I put them in).  I was in a hurry to watch a movie with the boys, so I did it as fast as possible.  It went into the oven for 45 minutes.

We were so ready for brownies, I didn't take a pic till we had eaten almost half of it!  That means YUM!

The recipe says the best way to store these is to put them on parchment cut outs so that they don't all stick together.  So I lined them up and then cut between each brownie.

Line them up in an airtight container.  I used a Snapware container.

If you like a gooey brownie, you HAVE to make these! 

Click here for the recipe:  Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Order the Pampered Chef Square Brownie Pan at www.pamperedchef.biz/janisnunez

Three-Bean Salad

This is the fastest side dish to make and the flavors are delicious!  I found a two-bean salad recipe when looking for recipes for what to do with all of the green beans growing in the garden.  It called for one pound of green beans and a can of cannellini beans.  I only had kidney beans, and I'm growing yellow and green beans in the garden, so I gave those a try.  So delicious I have never made the original recipe!  Here is what I did:

Start a large pot of water to boil the beans in.  Wash and cut the stem end off of the beans.  I just snapped them off the ends, but you can cut them with a knife if you want to.  The recipe also says to cut them into 1-inch pieces, but I like them left whole.  Boil the the beans for 4 minutes and drain in a colander.

Mince 1/2 cup of red onion.  (Mincing just means finely chop.)

Whisk together 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.  I used about 1/2 tsp of each.  Set aside.  Drain canned beans and rinse with water. 

Add warm beans, kidney (or cannelini) beans, and red onion to dressing in bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan if desired.  (I always forget the Parmesan and it's still great!)

 

Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Arroz con Pollo

Arroz con Pollo (chicken with rice) is a dish I truly miss from living in South Florida.  I cannot tell you the number of times I have asked my husband to call his mother so that I can make her personal recipe.  The problem with this is...I get a different recipe every time.  So, I decided to give the Goya recipe a try. 

Here is where you will find it:  Goya's Arroz con Pollo

The recipe called for 8 chicken pieces, but this is what I had on hand and used.

Here is the seasoning you use for it.  (I took a picture in case you have never attempted this and are clueless as to what you are looking for.)

Brown the chicken in batches in a large pot.

Set them aside and start the sauce.

Stir onions, peppers and garlic into pot; cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add rice, bouillon and sazón to pot; cook, stirring constantly, until rice is completely coated in oil mixture, about 1 minute.

Stir in 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Add alcaparrado and chicken to pot. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer until water is absorbed, rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Take the meat off the bone and add it to the yellow rice.

Stir together and serve with your favorite side.

We like it with fried plantain chips (see recipe on this site).