Tuna with Corn Cucumber Mint Relish

As my husband noted, this recipe was very summery. Too bad, the weather had taken a cold turn and it was 40 degrees and rainy outside. Ahhh Virginia weather, I give up!


1-2 lbs tuna (4 tuna steaks)
1 cucumber chopped
½ red pepper chopped
½ c. corn
¼ onion chopped
1 tbs mint chopped
¼ c. rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Pinch of red pepper

Mix together and set aside for an hour. The longer the better though.

For the tuna, I seasoned it with salt and pepper and rubbed it with a bit of cut garlic. I heated about 2 tbs of olive oil and got it nice and hot. Then I laid the steak on and let it cook for about a minute on each side. At that point turn the heat down to medium and continue to cook for about 2 minutes each side (give or take on thickness and how done you like them).

Pork Tenderlion and Asparagus

This pork recipe I came up with on the quick. I have to say the pork came out really well and the asparagus was wonderful!






2lb pork tenderloin
¼ cup olive oil
½ c. balsamic
½ tsp mustard
1 tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
2 sprigs rosemary
Salt and pepper
one bunch of aspargus cleaned

Preheat oven to 350.

I love a mortar and pestle, they really amp up the flavors in herbs…especially ones that have been sitting on the shelf for a bit. I start by adding the Italian seasoning, salt, rosemary (I had fresh if you have dried use about a teaspoon) and salt. Use the pestle to grind the seasonings a bit. Add the oil and vinegar and set aside.


Salt and pepper the pork and lay the pork out in a baking dish. I surrounded the pork with asparagus. Poor the oil and vinegar over.



Put the pork in the oven and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes (will depend a bit on size of pork loin). Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Quinoa and Currant Salad

I didn’t expect this to really be a standout so I never bothered to take a picture of it. My husband chided me as he wolfed the last bits of it. When will I ever learn?

3 cups of beef broth
1.5 cup uncooked quinoa
½ cup currants
2 tbs of minced mint
Juice of ½ a lime
A good bit of pepper
Salt to taste


Bring broth to broil and throw in qinoa and currants, let cook to package instructions (mine called for 12 minutes), let cool. Add mint, lime, salt and pepper. Let stand in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to an hour.

Orange and Goat Cheese Salad

I hope everyone had a great holiday and enjoyed time with friends and family. This year for Christmas Eve dinner I did a seafood lasagna. I am quite sure some of you might desert me if I write up one more thing containing orange or orange zest. I love citrus though. I believe citrus is the most underutilized powerhouse of the kitchen. Don’t believe me? Next dish you make, sweet or savory either squeeze some fresh lemon, lime or orange unto it or use a little fresh zest from one of these beauties. It just picks up a dish. It adds a layer of flavor that makes all the difference in the world. The only key with citrus is to add it at the very end. It gets bitter if cooked too long.

This is just a simple salad. It contains only lettuce (your choice), onion, toasted walnuts (pine nuts would be great too), orange and goat cheese or feta. I made this salad twice. The first time I simply used a very good EVOO and a ton of fresh pepper. For Christmas Eve dinner I used a bit of vinegar, EVOO and again a ton of fresh pepper. It was the perfect salad for a seafood meal and pretty as well.

Salmon over Turnip Greens

I served the greens and salmon over mashed potatoes. Yesterday Joel wasn’t feel well and I hadn’t planned anything for dinner. So I just took the leftover greens and broth, warmed it in a pan and tossed with with some past and parm. It was quite good.



Normally, I am not a fan of cooking vegetables too much. This is a bit different. I cook them until they a totally soft and limp…almost soupy. Also I use a micro planer to grate my garlic. I like it better than a garlic press but you could to that as well but you might want to add an extra clove.

Turnip Greens

3tb olive oil
4 cloves garlic grated
1 lb turnip green cleaned and chopped
1tsp sugar
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste


Sautee the garlic in the oil for 2 minutes. Add ½ the turnip greens a bit at a time and turn to coat. Add chicken stock and wine. Add the rest of turnip greens. Add sugar and cook until very soft. Salt and pepper to taste.

1 lb salmon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ tsp lemon rind


Cut the salmon into 4 pieces. Coat each piece with a touch of olive oil. Salt an pepper each piece. In skillet heat about 2 tbs olive oil and get it hot. Add salmon and turn heat down to medium. Cook on first side for 2 minutes. Flip and cook another minute to two. Remove from pan.

Plate about 1/3 cup of mashed potatoes. Put turnip green on top with several tablespoons of the liquid from the pan and place salmon on top. Finish with a couple of passes on the zester of fresh lemon rind.

Mahi Mahi with Israeli Cous Cous

The other night I had in mind that I wanted to coat some mahi mahi with some panko and rosemary and then fry it up. I wanted to lay that over some Israeli cous cous that was set in a Bouillabaisse like broth. In my mind it would be a soupy, rich, oily tomato based sauce. Something went wrong. Mind you, it did come out well… it really did. It just did not come out they way I had it in my mind. Perhaps I should have read some bouillabaisse recipes. Perhaps you can’t cheat 3 different kinds of fish, with some clam juice and fish bullions? The problem with the end product was that it really just tasted like a red sauce. It was a good red sauce, definitely Stromboli dipping worthy, but just a red sauce. Any suggestions are welcome.

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3 tbs of shallot or red onion finely chopped
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
1 can crushed tomato
1 bottle of clam juice
3tbs fish sauce (if you have, I use it to add richness and salt)
1 c. red wine
2 fish bullion
1 c. water
Pinch of sugar
2 tbs Italian seasoning

Heat oil and butter together. Add onion/shallot and garlic. Sautee for 2 minutes. Add Italian seasoning. Sautee for another 2 minutes. Add tomato, clam juice, fish sauce, wine, bullion, water and sugar. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

I then made the cous cous to the package instructions, cut the mahi mahi into small pieces and coated and fried. I put some sauce on the bottom of the dish, the cous cous went on top and the fish on top of the cous cous. I finished with just a bit more sauce. Again it was good, but it lacked richness and depth. I am open for help here.

Turkey Soup

Okay, how could I not give you some recipes for turkey leftovers. More are on the way. This was my grandmothers soup and it is my favorite soup. It is great with leftover chicken as well.
1.5-2 c. chicken or turkey meat
1 onion chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
2 carrots diced
1tsp salt and pepper
2 qts water
6 bullion cubs
1 can cream corn
1 cup green beans
1 egg
1 cup flour
¼ tsp salt
Sesame oil (optional)
You want about 1..5-2 cups of meat. What I did was cover the turkey carcass with bullion and simmer for an hour. I then pulled the carcass out and ran under cool water and picked it clean. If you need to, add more meat. Add meat, carrots, celery, onion and salt and pepper back to bullion and simmer for one hour. Add your can of cream of corn and you green beans (I use frozen you could use fresh). Bring back to a boil. Meanwhile work 1 egg into 1 cup of flour and a quarter teaspoon of salt. The mixture will be mealy and dry. Scatter this mixture into the soup, cover pot an boil for 10 more minutes. Serve.
This is a very traditional down home sort of soup, however my parents added sesame oil one day to their bowl. The results were amazing. You only need a drop or two, but give it a try if you like sesame, you love it.

Summer Pot Roast

Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. We used some parsnips and sweet potato that needed to be used, but summer squash, onion and tomato would be great. However, if you use a vegetable that requires less cooking time, wait to put it in about 15-20 minutes before roast is done.

2-3 lb pork lion
3 parsnips
3 stalks celery
2 sweet potatoes
Salt/pepper
Penzeys Greek seasoning
2 c. chicken stock
2 tbs garlic

Set oven to 350. Season meat really well with salt, pepper, Greek seasoning and garlic. If using root vegetables cut into small pieces and line the bottom of roasting pan with them (if you are using other vegetables, wait to add (you will want about 3 cups of vegetables per pound). Place seasoned meat on top. Season vegetables if you wish as well. Add stock and put in hot oven. Cook meat for about 30-40 minutes.

Limey Salmon

1 salmon filet
½ c. Lime sour cream recipe (under pork taco)


Smear salmon with sour cream and bake 350% for 20 minutes uncovered.
This I think would make a really good “taco” meat or of course good on a salad.

None of That Mushy Stuff Please

I am lucky because I love vegetables. Rutabaga, you bet! Brussels Sprouts, bring it on! Kohlrabi ..alrighty. Collards….not so much. However, I spent the vast majority of my life here in Richmond and so every encounter I had with a collard was... well… like a bad blind date…lifeless and I saw no potential. Then one day someone was talking about how much they loved collards. This is a person I was confident was not a mushy veggie eater. So, I asked how she cooked them, and a convert was born. If you have never had them, I suspect if you like wilted spinach or broccoli rabe you would like collards. They are far, far more course, which is one thing I adore about them. I think they are actually less bitter then wilted spinach. We are having them tonight with some leftover pork. I can’t wait.

1 Bunch of Collards
3 Heaping tablespoons a minced garlic
2 TBS Olive Oil
Dash of ground red pepper (optional, I like the wee kick)
Salt and pepper.

Okay collards can vary greatly. Some places you get them the greens will have NO grime in them and some places the greens are chocked full of grime/sand. To be sure, fill you sink with cool water, and soak them. Change water a couple of times. Honestly, I think the best source of collards is actually Food Lion. Once they are clean chop them up (I personally like mine sliced to form almost like a fettuccini noodle, but that is just my deal). I also like a good part of the stem, however, I would tell you if it is your first time using them, skip the stem. Heat ½ of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of garlic. If you are making the whole bunch (as I do, they really cook down and are great leftover), you will not be able to get all into your pan. Fit what you can in there and loosely put a cover over you pan if you can, after a minute or so, stir and add more. Keep working in batches and once you have ¾ of the collards in the pan, put in the rest of the oil and garlic. Cook until all of the greens are wilted (some will be a bit more wilted, but again collards are so course they really can stand the longer cooking time). When they are done, really depends on you. Season to taste. You will be a convert.

Feta Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

Ahhh, the stuffed chicken breast, this was to my family what pizza or maybe taco night was to others. It was the in a pinch or I have leftovers but not quite enough for a whole meal, meal. You can really stuff it with anything, cold cuts (hence chicken cordon blue----doesn’t seem so fancy now huh!) try some Chinese leftovers, a little moo-shoo or a little fried rice and some sesame oil. Yummm. Heck I bet, even some leftover chilli topped with some cheddar cheese and sour cream would be Jim Dandy. Season the chicken or it can suck the flavor away from anything you put in there.

1.5-2 lbs bonless skinless chicken breasts filleted open and pounded out
½ C. marinated artichoke chopped up
1 tsp garlic
¼ C. feta
1TBS olive
Salt and pepper


In a pan heat oil. Mix the artichoke, feta and garlic up and spread a fair amount on one side of chicken. Roll and secure with toothpicks or poultry string. Cook until done. This would also be good with the addition of roasted peppers, or olives or both!

Herbed Bulgur Salad

2 C. uncooked Bulgur
2 C boiling water
1 C. diced tomatoes
3 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS olive oil
1/8 C. Parsley
1 TBS oregano, packed
1 Tsp. thyme packed
1 TBS basil packed
30 chive stalks
½ c, Feta
Salt and pepper to taste
Place raw bulgur in big bowl. Boil water and pour over bulgur. Cover bulgur and set aside. Meanwhile, in food processor, process all herbs until fairly fine. Once bulgur cooled add herbs, tomatoes, lemon, oil and feta. Stir and season.

Horseradish Crusted Salmon

1lb Salmon
1TBS horseradish
1 TBS course mustard
1TBS bread crumbs
3TBS sour cream
Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 350, salt and pepper salmon. Mix, horseradish, mustard, bread crumbs and sour cream together and spread on filet. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

strawberry salad

This is a little freeform here. Make a very simple salad. A little onion, a little cucumber, lettuce and maybe carrot. For a salad for 4 slice about a pint of strawberry’s. Add 1/2 C crumbled blue cheese. Toss with a slightly sweet dressing. I used Maple Grove Farms Ginger Pear but a poppy seed would be good as well.

Herbed Goat Cheese Salmon

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 c. goat cheese
5 slices sun dried tomato
½ tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
½ tsp salt
1 lb salmon

Process first 5 ingredients. Salt and pepper salmon. Heat oven to 350. Smear fish with cheese mixture. Cook for 20 minutes. This would be great on pork too. Again, feta would work.

Navy Beans with Spinach

I think this could be good as a cold dish too. I would just forgo the bullion, water and wine, and use lemon and olive oil.

½ onion
6 1/8 inch slices of smoked pork lion ( I get at Bende.com) or 10 slices bacon
1 bag navy beans
2 chicken bullion
1 c. wine
1 cup frozen, 4 cups fresh spinach
Salt
Pepper
Marjoram
Tarragon
Soak beans overnight. Sautee onion and bacon or lion. In large corning dish add beans, soaking water, bullion and 2 c. water and wine. Add pork and onion, salt, pepper, tarragon and plenty of marjoram. Put in oven at 350 and cook for 45 min, when almost done, add spinach, let cook until just warm (5 min).

Lemon Chicken Pasta

½ C panko bread crumbs
½ C grated parmesan cheese
1 lb chicken
½ lb pasta
2 TBS capers
½ C oil
¼ C lemon
1 egg
1 TBS water
Combine egg and water and wisk. Pound out chicken breasts unil thin (you may need to cut chicken breast to half thickness). Season well with salt and pepper. Combine bread crumbs and parmesan. Dip chicken in egg and then crumb mixture. Fry in oil. While cooking chicken, cook pasta and set aside. When chicken done, add lemon to pan with oil and drippings and stir, add capers, and poor over pasta and chicken. Serve immediately.

Snapper With Tomato and Cilantro Salsa

2 Lbs, Snapper
2-3 large tomatoes chopped up
½ onion chopped
½ C. chopped cilantro
½ C. green olives
2 TBS capers
Heat oven to 350. In bowl add, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and capers. Mix and season to taste. Season fish. Cover fish with salsa and bake for 30 minutes. Remove fish from the oven, and cover with olives.

Good Guacamole

Okay it goes without saying, I did NOT invent guacamole. I just think mine is pretty good.

2 ripe avocados
1 TBS lemon juice
¼ Herdez Salsa (or your favorite)
1tsp (or to taste) Greek seasoning. I know it is odd, but it is a good all purpose. If you don’t have Greek seasoning use fajita, otherwise salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Peel and pit avocado, and add lemon juice and salsa. With a fork mash together. Add seasoning to taste.

Great Guacamole

If you have time this is really good “fancied up” version of an old standard.

Peel and devain about 15 small shrimp. Cut into small pieces. Add, lime juice to cover, garlic, salt and pepper. Let sit for 3 hours or overnight. The lime juice should cook the shrimp. It should be pink. However for those week at heart, zap it in the microwave for a minute stirring once. Make the above recipe with the addition of the shrimp and about ¼ c. chopped cilantro.


P.S. if you save the pit and throw it into the guacamole when you are done preparing it keeps the avocado from turning brown.