cause i'm a fatty

Grilled Chicken Salad 

Not too long ago I found myself starving with nothing near in sight except for a McDonalds. I tried grilled chicken salad, and not surprisingly, was disappointed. When I got home that day I decided to try a homemade version and stay minimal. I peeled some carrots into thin ribbons, and sliced some campari tomatoes. The chicken breast was pounded till thin, and covered in salt, pepper, jamaican all spice powder and chopped savory. It was grilled, about 3 minutes each side, and garnished with alfalfa sprouts. 

There are a million reasons why you should incorporate alfalfa sprouts into your diet. Here are ten of them:

http://www.nurtureyourown.com/Sprouts/19/10-great-benefits-to-eating-alfalfa-sprouts/

This is a really filling salad, mainly because of the grilled chicken and potatoes. The chicken was marinated in some tandoori spices mixed with yogurt and lemon juice, and the red skin potatoes were marinated in some light mayo and ground mustard. The small pieces were skewered, and cooked in 10 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time to get this salad going [cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and feta over romaine].

this salad has some corn we grilled, red bell peppers, yellow and red heirlooms, red onion and basil. the heirlooms are sweet and crunchy, unlike their hybrid counterparts

Surf & Turf 

Crab Salad

Like a ceviche, cut up red onions, cilantro, a little garlic if you want, and avocados. Mix with crab and some lemon juice and salt and pepper. You can create a neat presentation by placing the crab salad into a small bowl and turning it upside down on your platter, which in this case is just heirloom tomatoes and green leaf lettuce. 

Steak

Get the best looking steak at your local grocery store. If it’s a bright red and you’re buying it over the counter, it’s probably a winner. Season with salt and pepper. Cook in a hot skillet, 4 minutes each side or more depending on how thick it is. and until it’s 145 in the center [medium rare]. Eat it. If you want, make a quick sauce with some butter, cut up criminis or shiitakes, a little onion, and a good cabernet sauvignon. Season with pepper. 

Cooking with Parchment Paper

My first day back in Boulder was spent celebrating Bastille Day at the Brassiere Ten Ten off of Pearl St. in Boulder. I picked the hailbut en papillote [in parchment paper] with shitakes and carrots for the first time, and loved how delicate and tender the fish was. The portion was pretty small [I ended up getting a shrimp cocktail, mussels and bread] so I’ve been craving some papillote style fish, and decided to give it a go!

Cod was half the price of halibut at Whole Foods, so got we four 3 oz portions. This recipe is so simple, it’s integrity really rests on using fresh ingredients. 

Other Ingredients:

1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly without stems
1 pepper sliced thinly, de-seeded [jalapeno, serrano, 1/2 a bell pepper]
1 garlic, crushed and chopped  
1/4 cup of sliced red onions
1 lemon
cilantro or green onions 
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs rice vinegar 
1 tsp sriracha  
evoo
salt
pepper
five spice powder [optional, but super tasty, gives the fish a little cinnamon sweetness]

parchment paper
1 egg
basting brush  

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all of the cut vegetables, along with the scallions with 1-2 tbs squeezed lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  

Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, and chopped cilantro together. 

Fold your parchment paper in half, which should be about a foot long for a piece of 6 oz fish [we [paired two portions together]. Place the vegetables in a small bed on one side of the paper. Liberally sprinkle salt, pepper, and five spice powder on both sides of the fish. Place the fish on top of the vegetables, drizzle a little bit of evoo and the soy sauce marinade and any extra herbs.  

I had to throw out two pieces of parchment paper because I couldn’t fold them correctly, so I found this handy youtube video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTuUf-MO_T0

You want the parchment pocket you create to puff up in the oven and steam the fish and vegetables, locking in all of the juices and flavors. The egg wash trick really made sure the paper stayed sealed and didn’t come a part in the oven. 

Cook the fish, depending on how big they are for 15 minutes, or up to 20. 

But be careful, it’s like opening up a bag of fresh microwaved popcorn. The steam could hit you in the face if you’re standing over it, and it burned my fingers as I eagerly went to open it up. Use a pair of scissors and open the middle. I like to place the parchment pocket on a plate and eat right out of there. 

I love this meal because it’s simple to prepare, all of the mess is contained [so easy clean up], and there is just a sprinkle of oil. A 3 oz piece of cod has less than 100 calories and less than 1 gram of fat, which makes it the type of healthy you can do without sacrificing being satisfied. 

Brazilian Seafood Stew 

Ingredients:

Cod filet
Crab
Shrimp
Garlic
Onions
Small green chilies
2 cans of whole tomatoes
Coconut milk

Directions:

1. In a big soup like pot, aute the vegetables in EVOO.
2. On low heat, put the tomatoes in, and stir.
3. Add seafood, which should cook by the time the soup boils.
4. Add a splash of coconut milk, and salt and pepper.  

This soup is a meal by itself and SOOOO EASY to make. I got it from a friend, Nadia, who got it from someone else, so I can’t take any credit. I love the addition of cilantro and chopped chili peppers at the end. I cooked the vegetables with some annatto powder but have heard that some use palm oil to get the red color. 

Tuna Poke @ Benihana 

Tandoori Chicken Thighs 

What I like about chicken thighs is that they don’t dry out as quickly as chicken breasts when you’re grilling them. There’s been days I’ve had no time to marinate, but the thighs always work out. 

Clams, Shrimp, and Prosciutto in Lemon Parsley Sauce

Pepperoncini and Buffalo Chicken Salad 

This is the first of much salad love to come. 

Scallops and Avocado Salad

I love scallops because they take minutes to cook, and all you have to remember is to not crowd them too much in a pan or they’ll steam. A cool salad with caramelized red onions onions, tomatoes, and cilantro made this a meal under 25 minutes. 

Applewood smoked bacon, alderwood salt and milk chocolate. I am officially inspired to incoporate bacon into my future dessert endeavors.