Lasagna with Cashew "Cheese"

• Serves 6.

Being constantly-touring singers, my husband & I have completely omitted cheese & other dairy from our diets. Dairy likes to cake-on your vocal cords, and when you sing as often as we do, it can really affect your vocal health. If you told me 3 years ago that I would order pizza sans cheese, and not miss it, I would have thought you were crazy. BUT, it's true. I'm okay with not eating cheese, especially when I can indulge in yummy substitutes like cashew "cheese!" 

I found this awesome cashew "cheese" recipe on The Blender Girl's blog*, and decided it would be a fun experiment to make lasagna using the cashew blend instead of ricotta, and nutritional yeast instead of parmesan. IT WORKED! My husband & parents went nuts over it, and I have to say, nobody missed the cheese. ;)

If you are vegan, just omit the turkey. This recipe would be delicious without it, as well!

• 
  
• Lasagna Ingredients:

• Oven-Ready lasagna noodles
• 1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
• 1 jar of your favorite tomato marinara sauce
• 2 cups white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 bags baby spinach
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Cashew "Cheese" (recipe below)

1. 
   
2. Directions for Lasagna:
3. 
   
4. Preheat oven to 375°.

Make cashew cheese (recipe below). Set aside. Cook turkey over medium high heat in a large skillet. Salt & pepper to taste. Set aside. In the same pan, add a 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, half of the garlic, and 1 bag of baby spinach. Cook until fully wilted, and then repeat with 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, the rest of the garlic, and the 2nd bag of baby spinach. Set aside. In the same pan, add 1 tbsp. olive oil and mushrooms. Salt & pepper to taste, and cook until tender. In a large bowl, mix together turkey, spinach mixture, mushrooms, fresh basil, and tomato sauce.

Spread a thin layer of cashew "cheese" on the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Spread a little cashew "cheese" on the lasagna noodles, one at a time, to cover completely; place in a single layer in the baking dish. Top with turkey, spinach, etc. sauce mixture. Evenly sprinkle on some nutritional yeast flakes. Keep layering in the same order until all of the sauce is used (this should make 3 layers). For the top (4th) layer, spread cashew "cheese" on the noodles, make the layer, spread the rest of the cashew cheese over top, and sprinkle on some nutritional yeast. 

Rest lasagna for 30 minutes to allow the noodles to absorb liquid. Place in the oven & bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned. Rest at least 20 minutes before cutting.

• Cashew "Cheese" Ingredients:

• 4 cups soaked raw cashews (soaked for at least 2-4 hours)
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup nutritional yeast + more for sprinkling
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, ground

1. 
   
2. Directions for Cashew "Cheese":
3. 
   
4. *This cashew "cheese" recipe is adapted from The Blender Girl. 

• Place the cashews, nutritional yeast, 1/2 of the water, 1/2 of the lemon juice, garlic and sea salt in the food processor and pulse until roughly blended.
• Gradually add in more lemon juice, garlic, nutmeg and salt to taste.
• Transfer the "cheese" to a bowl, and stir through the parsley.

You want the "cheese" to be the consistency of ricotta. The more water you add, the creamier and thinner the cheese will become.

Perfect Paella

• In February, Shawn & I gave my dad a birthday present: a meal of his choice, cooked by the two of us. Three nights ago, he told us that he wanted us to make him this birthday meal… and he wanted Paella. The two of us are leaving on a 'cross country-into Canada-40-day tour on Friday, so this freaked us out a little bit, but there was no way we were going to say no. :)
• 
  
• We found a recipe online that had raving reviews, and seemed pretty simple, so we adapted it to include some really yummy seafood, and put our spin on some of the spices & techniques. It turned out to be the perfect paella… not too saucy, yet not dry; tons of flavor, and perfect balance between the chicken/Andouille sausage and the seafood. My dad LOVED it.
• 
  
• No need to be afraid of making paella any longer. This recipe is not very involved at all. Enjoy!

• Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, skinned 
• 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 (4-ounce) links fully-cooked Andouille sausage, sliced in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/3 cup chopped onion 
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cups uncooked Arborio or Valencia rice
• 3/4 cup canned diced organic tomato
• 1 1/3 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1/3 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cups free range, low-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 pound large shrimp, shell & tail intact
• 1/2 pound Mahi Mahi (or other fish that will hold it's own), skinned & de-boned, cut into 1-inch chunks
• ~20 high quality fully-cooked frozen Blue Tip mussels, cleaned & de-bearded
• 1 1/4 cup (1-inch) diagonally cut asparagus 
• 3/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced diagonally in 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

1. 
   
2. Directions:
3. 
   
4. Preheat oven to 400°.
5. Rub chicken down with Herbes de Provence, smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Heat the oil in an 8-quart nonstick pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pot; cover and keep warm.
6. Add sausage, onion and bell pepper to pot; cook 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove & set aside. Add shrimp & fish to pot; cook 2 minutes on each side; remove & set aside (seafood will not be fully cooked). Return sausage, onion, and bell pepper mixture to pot. Add rice, tomato, paprika, saffron, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pot. Add broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover pot. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Stir in shrimp, fish, mussels, asparagus, and peas. Cover and bake an additional 5--8 minutes or until chicken & seafood is completely done. Serve in a large bowl with mussels featured on the top. Finish with sliced green onions & lemon wedges.

Recipe adapted from MyRecipes.com

JJ's Asian-Inspired Slaw

My mom rarely cleans her plate at the dinner table, but last night when I cooked for the family, she had a second sandwich - and ate all of it. That's how I knew this was a recipe I will have to make again & again, so I'd better write it down.

Most of the time when I'm cooking I don't measure out the ingredients - I just fly around the kitchen, tossing ingredients together by intuition. I'm not sure of the measurements for this dish, but since I had a lot of requests for the recipe, I figured I will share the basics & let you all try it per your own intuition!

I initially was making this slaw to accompany BBQ pulled pork tenderloin sandwiches and was going to make my homemade BBQ sauce, but lost track of time. Last minute, I decided to top the pulled pork tenderloin sandwiches with this slaw, some vegenaise, Sriracha pepper sauce, and a little hoisin sauce. YUM. Directions are below for the pulled pork as well. :) -JJ

Ingredients:

• Half a head of green cabbage, shredded
• 2 large radishes, peeled & julienned
• Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar (add gradually to taste)
• Mirin (add gradually to taste)
• Fresh lime juice (maybe 1/4 lime?)
• Black sesame seeds (shake generously!)
• Tupelo honey (maybe a heaping teaspoon?)
• Toasted sesame oil (add gradually - it's a strong ingredient!)
• Fresh cilantro, chopped (to taste)
• Sea salt (to taste)
• Chopped roasted peanuts (to top)

Directions:

Toss cabbage, radish, vinegar, Mirin, lime juice, sesame seeds, honey, sesame oil, salt and cilantro in a large bowl. Taste it. Love it. Top with peanuts. Done.

✳✳✳

Asian Pulled Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches...

• Pulled pork tenderloin
• JJ's Asian-Inspired Slaw
• Toasted buns
• Vegenaise
• Sriracha pepper sauce
• Hoisin sauce

Pulled Pork Tenderloin

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 pork tenderloins (~2.5 lbs.), halved lengthwise & cut into 2.5 inch pieces
• 1.5 beers
• 3/4 cup Bragg's apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 5 garlic cloves, bruised
• Black pepper
• Dried chili pepper
• Kosher salt (~2 tsp)

Directions:

Bring all of the ingredients to a boil, add the pork, cover, reduce heat to low, simmer for at least 1 hour or until pork is tender when stabbed with a fork. Remove pork from liquid, and pull apart using 2 forks.

Thai-Inspired Chili

This. This is really, really good. The photo of it… Not so much. ;)

My dad & I conceptualized the idea of a Thai-inspired chili recipe at least 4 years ago. The idea has been scribbled on a tattered piece of paper, hidden in a family recipe box, and we decided last night that it was finally time to make it come to life. The addition of red curry paste, fresh basil & cilantro, and a coconut drizzle to a pot of chili seemed like the perfect match - and it sure was!

I made enough for an army, so this recipe serves, like, 12 people. You will probably want to half it if you want to make it for a family of four - but I suggest you go ahead and just make a big pot of it so you have lots of leftovers. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. peanut oil
• 3 sweet onions, chopped
• 3 small bell peppers, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
• 3 lbs ground pork
• 28 oz. can of whole, peeled tomatoes
• 2 cups sliced button mushrooms
• 22 oz. can of Sapporo beer
• 1 can tomato paste
• 4 oz. jar red curry paste
• 1 quart beef broth
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 cans red kidney beans, drained
• 1 red chili pepper, deseeded & chopped
• 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• Salt, to taste
• Coconut milk, to drizzle (optional, but suggested)

Directions:

Heat peanut oil over medium heat in a large pot. When the oil is hot, add onions, bell peppers, garlic, and pork until browned.

Add tomatoes, beer, tomato paste, red curry paste, beef broth, basil, cilantro, brown sugar, salt and turmeric. Mix well. 

Stir in 2 cans of kidney beans, mushrooms & chili pepper. Reduce heat & simmer for 1.5 hours.

Add 2 remaining cans of kidney beans & simmer for another 30 mins. Serve hot with a swirl of coconut milk.

Summertime Penne

Serves 4

Well, hello blog! I've been really bad about posting lately. I posted a photo of this dish on Instagram & Facebook and had a lot of requests for the recipe, so here we go! I didn't actually measure anything out while I was making this, so this isn't going to be a very "exact" recipe with measurements, etc. I suggest you only make this one if you're comfortable feeling things out in the kitchen. :)

Ingredients:

• 1 box Dreamfield's Penne Pasta
• A handful of freshly shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
• 3ish sun dried tomatoes (in olive oil), thinly sliced
• A bunch of fresh green beans... maybe 4-5 cups? (see, this is really not exact at all)
• 4-5 tbsp. good, unsalted butter
• 2-3 tbsp. good extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• A handful of fresh tarragon leaves
• About 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• Sea salt & freshly grated black pepper

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, snip the ends of your green beans, and wash them in cold water. Add them to the boiling water, and let them boil for about 1-2 mins, or until they are bright green & at your desired done-ness. I like mine very al dente so that they have a nice crunch to them. Set the beans aside.

Bring your water back to a boil, and salt it (I used the same water, but you can switch it out if you want). Cook pasta as it describes on the box.

When you have about 5 minutes left for your pasta to cook: In a large skillet (or a wok pan), melt the butter & add olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic. Let cook for about 30 seconds, while stirring, then add the green beans. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the sun dried tomatoes. Add a little sea salt.

When the pasta is finished, strain, and add to the pan (or add everything to a big bowl if you can't fit it all in the pan). Mix in Pecorino Romano cheese, lemon juice and tarragon. Salt & pepper to taste.

Voila!

This was, seriously, one of my favorite dishes that I not only have made, but that I've eaten. The flavors worked perfectly, which could've gone either way since it was a complete experiment. I hope these directions do it justice. Enjoy!!

Oven-Fried Chicken {Gluten-Free}

Serves 4

My parents have been reading the book Wheat Belly and have been cutting back on the amount of wheat/gluten they consume. I'm still in the early stages of researching this way of eating, and since it makes sense that this could be a healthier lifestyle, I've been trying to come up with delicious gluten-free substitutes for the everyday cravings we wheat-lovers want.

My dear friend, Frederiche Gray, who has been my hairstylist for years now, is moving to Oregon today. My family had Frederiche & his husband over for a sending-off dinner last night, and I decided to make a tried-and-true delicious recipe that I've posted on this blog before, but I made a couple changes to make it gluten-free!

Cree LaFavour's recipe from Poulet: More Than 50 Remarkable Recipes That Exalt the Honest Chicken, Oven-Fried Chicken, is one of my all-time favorite dishes to make. It's crispy, juicy, and so much healthier than fried chicken (I actually think it's BETTER)! I researched how to make a gluten-free all-purpose flour, and found this wonderful blog called Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef. The blog explained which flours could be used and what the correct proportions are to make a gluten-free all-purpose flour (see the post here). I decided to use oat flour as my whole grain flour, and potato flour as my starch. My family, who has eaten this recipe before, liked the gluten-free version even more! It was so crispy, and seriously delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup organic whole milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus 1 tbsp.
• 8-10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts)
• 3 oz. oat flour
• 5 oz. potato flour
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Black pepper
• Flaky salt for finishing
• 1/4 cup coursely chopped fresh chives or parsley

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the milk, olive oil, lemon juice and the 1 tsp. Kosher salt.  Add the chicken to the bowl and turn to coat on both sides.  Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. If refrigerating, return the chicken to room temperature for 30 minutes or so to take the chill off before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Stir together the oat flour, potato flour, 1 tbsp. Kosher salt, and cayenne in another large bowl.  Season with the black pepper.  Lift the chicken pieces from the marinade and dredge in the seasoned flour to coat on both sides.  Give each piece a little shake to remove any excess flour.  Lay the pieces on a parchment paper-lined or lightly greased baking sheet, skin-side down.

Bake the chicken for 30-40 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, or until the crust is a deep, golden brown.  I covered my chicken with aluminum foil at the end because the crust was very crispy, and I didn't want it to burn. Either insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh or cut into a thigh with a paring knife.  The thermometer should register 175° F.  If using a knife, look for clear, not red or pink, juices running from the spot where you pierced the meat and opaque, barely pink flesh at the bone.  If the chicken isn't done, bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer and check it again.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, sprinkle with a little flaky salt, and let rest for 5 minutes.  Arrange on a platter or divide among individual plates.  Scatter the chives or parsley on top and serve.

Spicy BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Serves 4-6 

My mom found some delicious-looking organic baby back pork ribs yesterday at Native Sun in Jacksonville, FL, for me to make for a family dinner. I'd never cooked ribs before, so I researched some different cooking methods. I found a wonderful recipe on AllRecipes.com (link to original recipe below) that had rave reviews. I altered the sauce and cooking method, and got very lucky! The sauce turned out incredible (I will use it for different BBQ meats in the future), and the meat was literally falling off the bone. The garlic is a nice touch, and I'm going to double it next time! I cannot wait to make these yummy ribs again. :)

Ingredients:

Ribs:

• 4 pounds baby back pork ribs 
• 2/3 cup water 
• 1/3 cup Bragg apple cider vinegar 
• 6 large garlic cloves, barely chopped 
• 2 bay leaves 
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Barbeque Sauce:

• 1/2 cup Melinda's Jalapeño ketchup 
• 1/2 cup ketchup 
• 1 cup water 
• 1/2 cup Bragg apple cider vinegar 
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce 
• 1/4 cup organic creamy yellow mustard 
• 4 tablespoons butter 
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha pepper sauce 
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place ribs in two 10x15 inch roasting pans. Pour water and apple cider vinegar into a bowl, and stir. Sprinkle some freshly cracked black pepper over the ribs. Add the garlic and bay leaves to each of the pans. Pour diluted vinegar over ribs, and cover with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Baste the ribs with their juices. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes more. 

In a medium saucepan, mix together jalepeño ketchup, ketchup, water, Bragg apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, butter, brown sugar, Sriracha pepper sauce, and sea salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer barbeque sauce for 2 hours. 

Place all ribs into one container, discarding cooking liquid and bay leaves, keeping garlic. Pour half of your BBQ sauce all over them. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hrs in the refrigerator. (I marinated for 3 hrs.) Take the ribs out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you're ready to cook them to let them get to room temperature. 

Preheat grill for medium heat. 

Lightly oil preheated grill. Grill ribs (with garlic) over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning ribs once. Baste ribs generously with barbeque sauce, and grill 2 minutes. Turn ribs, baste again with barbeque sauce, and grill 2 minutes. 

Place ribs on a serving platter, and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side for dipping. Garnish with grilled garlic.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nuea)

Serves 4-5

My family has been frequenting a certain local Jacksonville Thai restaurant for about 17 years now. Pattaya Thai Grille was once owned and operated by our friend Lek, who's son, Russell, now owns and it and is the main chef. 

Shawn & I were invited to a dinner with new friends recently where we were to bring a dish made with flank steak, and then all of the dishes were to be voted on. I told Lek about this food contest, and she verbally gave me the recipe for her version of Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nuea). I put my own style into it, and it was quite a hit at the dinner!

The measurements below are guesstimates, since I make this by taste. If you like your food very spicy, add another chili pepper... If you're not into spice, SHAME ON YOU! Just kidding. ;) Just use 1 chili pepper. If you cannot find thin soy, use Tamari or regular soy sauce, but taste the mixture before pouring it all over your steak. You may want to add a little more lime juice.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. flank steak 
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 
• 3 tbsp. thin soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 2 chili peppers 
• 1 med. white onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 green onion, sliced 
• 3 cups fresh cilantro, chopped 
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish 
• 3 medium tomatoes, sliced for garnish 
• Jasmine rice

Directions:

Take your steaks out of the refrigerator to let them warm to room temperature (about 20 minutes). Turn your grill on (I have an electric grill since I live in a condo & am not allowed to have gas or charcoal). Let it get to high heat (about 15 minutes).

Prep your onion, green onion, cilantro, tomatoes and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, finely chop the garlic and chili pepper. Set the mixture aside.

Grill the flank steaks for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they're done to your liking. Let the cooked steaks rest on the counter.

Arrange sliced tomatoes on your nicest platter or large plate. In a bowl, mix together the garlic/chili pepper, lime juice, thin soy, and sugar. This is your sauce... and wow, it's good.

Cut flank steaks into quarter-inch slices - cut against the grain, or your meat will be chewy. Cut the slices in half, and then arrange half of the meat on the serving platter. Stack your meat high to make it look like there's a lot of it. Arrange half of the sliced onions on top of the meat. Pour half of the sauce over the meat & onions. Generously sprinkle some of the fresh cilantro on top. Repeat with the rest of the meat, then the onion, the rest of the sauce, more cilantro, and then top with the sliced green onion and fresh mint.

Serve with jasmine rice, and make sure to spoon that delicious sauce over the rice. Bon appetit! 

Orecchiette with Browned Butter and Snails

Serves 2-4 (I suggest doubling if you have 4 people with big appetites!)

Last week, my family and I went to North Carolina to unplug for a few days. We stopped by Dean and Deluca (an amazing specialty grocery store), where I picked up a can of gourmet French Wild Burgundy Snails. I also found some delicious looking orecchiette pasta, which seemed like the perfect pairing for the snails.

While in the mountains of North Carolina, I visited the Ashe County cheese shop and picked up some Ashe County butter, which I used in this recipe. On the last day of our vacation, we went to the West Jefferson, NC, farmer’s market - incredible! A very nice couple, Ron and Suzanne Joyner, of Big Horse Creek Farm, were set up at the farmer’s market. They specialize in Antique and Heirloom Apple Trees, but at the market, they had a booth for their fresh produce, and they had 4 different types of garlic. I bought a few bulbs of each kind, and couldn’t wait to get home to Florida to try them all! From other vendors, I also purchased some beautiful heirloom tomatoes, hot peppers, and a few other goodies.

This past weekend was the perfect weekend to experiment in my new kitchen. The day after we returned back to Florida, I spent the entire morning/afternoon chopping, tasting, and experimenting with a bunch of fresh ingredients gathered from our mountain getaway. I made habanero salsa and two different kinds of bruschetta with the juicy, flavorful heirloom tomatoes, but my favorite dish of the weekend was this pasta. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8.8 oz. Orecchiette pasta (or about 1/2 lb.)
• 7.5 oz. can of Wild Burgundy Snails (4 dozen small)
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 tsp. Herbs de Provence, ground in mortar & pestle
• 1 clove garlic, minced (I used Persian Star garlic from Big Horse Creek Farm)
• 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Cook orecchiette pasta as directed on package.

While pasta is boiling, heat butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until butter has a golden brown color. When butter has desired coloring, add garlic, Herbs de Provence, and snails. Stir to combine, and remove from heat. 

Strain pasta out of boiling water when finished, and add directly to the browned butter saucepan. Immediately add Parmesan cheese and parsley, and stir to combine all ingredients.

Serve in your prettiest bowls, and serve with fresh French bread if desired.

Bombastic Blackened Chicken

Serves 4

Once you have made my dad's amazing blackening spice, and have it stored in your pantry for future use (see the recipe here), this dish is one of the easiest & quickest meals to throw together on a whim! It's spicy, juicy, and so flavorful.. so much so that I actually said "bombastic." ;) Pair with a salad or some southern greens, like I did! 

Ingredients:

• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2-3 tbsp. butter
• My dad's blackening spice (see here)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Wash chicken breasts, pat dry. Pour a generous amount of blackening spice into a shallow bowl. Place chicken breasts, one by one, into the blackening spice, and coat very generously with the spice. Place coated chicken breasts into a baking dish. Put 1/2 tbsp. butter on top of each breast. Bake for 15 minutes on each side. Voila!

Panko Pecan Pan-Fried Flounder

I LOVE breading fish and chicken with pecans. The final product is so crunchy, and has amazing flavor. I usually just make this on a whim, using whatever ingredients I have lying around (Italian style breadcrumbs work really well, too), but this time I decided to really give it my all so that I could share a recipe with you!

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

• 4 fresh Flounder fillets
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the breading:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 6 oz. chopped pecans
• 1 cup whole wheat Panko crumbs
• 2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 2 tbsp. peanut oil

Directions:

In a shallow baking dish, mix together the buttermilk, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the Flounder fillets, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour, taking out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking them.

In a shallow dish, add the flour. Season with the salt and pepper.

In another shallow dish, crack the eggs, and whisk till creamy.

In a third shallow dish, mix together the pecans and Panko crumbs.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge 2 of the fish fillets in the flour, then shake off the excess. Dip into the egg, and then cover with the pecan/Panko mixture. Cook the two fillets for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the fish is white and flaky inside. Repeat with the other 2 fillets, adding the remaining tbsp. oil before cooking them.

Serve immediately, and garnish with fresh dill if desired.

Perfectly paired with my Cold Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing.

Buffaloaf

Serves 4*

Okay, I'm not one to toot my own horn, BUT this has to be one of the best things I've ever eaten, let alone come up with.  The photo does it no justice.  If you've ever eaten bison/buffalo meat, you will appreciate this recipe by just reading the ingredients... if you haven't tried bison/buffalo meat yet, you are in for a treat.  Bison is so much leaner than beef, AND tastes even yummier in my opinion.  According to an article on Livestrong.com, "a 3 oz. serving of beef sirloin contains 12 grams of fat, while 3 oz. of bison sirloin contains just 5 grams. Beef sirloin is also higher in saturated fat, with 5 grams, compared to 2 grams of saturated fat in bison sirloin."  Pretty impressive, huh?  Ground bison can be found at your local Whole Foods Market (or other high end grocery), and even some basic grocery stores - just ask your butcher!  I made Garlicky Spaghetti Squash on the side, and it was a perfect meal.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!

*Just a tip: you will probably want to double this so that you have left-overs!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs. ground buffalo (bison)
• 15 oz. of Rao's Marinara Sauce (or your favorite marinara/spaghetti sauce)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole wheat Panko crumbs
• 1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - use 1 pepper, deseed and finely chop - about 1 tbsp.
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese (Buffalo mozzarella if you feel like spending the $!), cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, combine the buffalo meat, half of the marinara sauce, eggs, Panko crumbs, chipotle pepper, onion, basil, salt, and black pepper.  Mix well.  Divide the mixture into thirds.  Spread 1/3 in the bottom of an ungreased 9x5" loaf pan.  Place half of the mozzarella slices on top.  Repeat layers, and end with the meat.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Spread the rest of the sauce on the buffaloaf. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, and add parmesan to top.  Bake for 5 minutes more.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!!