Easy Ahi Tuna, Shrimp and Avocado Dinner

Posted on October 9, 2012 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

How about an easy fast ahi tuna and shrimp recipe you can prepare in no time for a special dinner at home.  On your way home simply hit your favorite grocer and pick up some sushi grade ahi tuna, steamed shrimp, and avocado to supplement some other ingredients you likely have around the house.

Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

One and 1/4 lb Ahi Tuna

One and 1/2 cups Botan Calrose Rice (or other fine sticky rice)

2 C water and dash of canola oil

8 steamed shrimp

1 avocado – sliced

1 roasted red pepper (from jar)

spinach leaves

sprouts

wasabi

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Preparation:

Rinse rice and then add it to a pot with 2 cups of water and dash of canola oil. Bring to boil on high heat, cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 16 minutes. Turn off heat and let the rice sit for a few minutes covered.

Remove avocado skin and slice avocado into wedges

Slice roasted bell pepper

Wash, dry and place spinach leaves on each plate as a base for rice.

Spray the interior of a 1 cup measure with canola oil.   Fill the cup with rice and gently pack.  Invert cup over the spinach and tap the cup onto the plate the  formed rice onto the spinach.

Rinse ahi, and then dab dry with paper towel.

Coat the ahi on both sides with canola  oil and then liberally coat both sides with Montreal Steak Seasoning .

Heat large fry pan and  1 tsp canola oil on medium high heat, when hot add the ahi.  Cook ahi 2 minutes on each side (the ahi in the above photo was cooked longer because She Who Must Be Obeyed is not receptive to rare fish).  Remove to cutting board. Slice into 1/3 inch thick servings.

Rinse the steamed shrimp.

Place pepper slice on top of rice mold.

Add 2 shrimp and avocado.

Garnish with sprouts.

Arrange 3 or 4 slices of ahi against the rice.

You can buy ready made wasabi or buy  a can of powdered wasabi which is easy to prepare and will last forever.

Have wasabi and soy sauce on the side for individual application and that’s it, time for a great dinner.

AND STUFF

I’m standing in line minding my own business buying groceries for my ahi post. My 1 1/4 pound ahi tuna shows on the register as costing about $30.00.  The guy behind me says “Whoa your living large tonight”.  All of a sudden I’m all self conscious and worried people will start chanting “1 Percenter 1 Percenter!” I grab my my bags and scurry back to my remote castle overlooking the ocean.

Safely sequestered behind the moat, I can just barely hear the angry villagers, so I figure I’m safe  to reflect on food cost break points.

My glorious ahi and shrimp dinner for 4 cost around $38.00. The meal is low in fat, calories, and all kinds of chemicals found in some fast foods.  And my meal makes for an elegant dinner. The cost for 4 is about $9.50 each. True, its not the cost per plate one would want every night. But how would it compare with other similarly priced treat nights?

I know a big mac meal deal with a shake is around $8.00 a piece, so for 4 tht’s $32.00.  Some might question the fat and caloric counts.  I know enough delivered pizza for 4 is in the neighborhood of $38.00 plus tip;  so that’s a clear wash (without even addressing fat and calories).  And, should you go to a restaurant for similar ahi meal I would imagine the price would  be  around $27.00 per plate plus tip.

Bottom line.  A good easy recipe, a little skill, along with a minimal amount of money will produce a  wonderful high end treat meal.  And fact is, this easy recipe can be made faster than a pizza can be delivered.

Don’t feel bad buying high end ahi or steaks for the occassional treat dinner, you’re about even with the cost of fast food and the nutrition you get is out of the ball park!

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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Beef Stew Ninja Style

Posted on October 3, 2012 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

This week’s easy recipe is based on a  number of beef stew recipes which I adapted to work with the Ninja Cooking system. Full Disclosure: I was comped a Ninja cooking system at the IFBC 2012 in Portland. The following recipe and And Stuff story are an account of my experience with the cooking system.

Ingredients:

2 lbs stew meat

One and 1/2 C beef broth

1 C red wine.

1 medium onion – chopped

1 C celery – (about two ribs) – sliced

4 red potatoes peeled and cut in half or more depending on size

1 C baby -cut carrots

18 small mushrooms

1/2 C frozen peas

1/2 C pearl onons

4 garlic cloves – crushed and diced

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

1/4 tsp Thyme (dry)

1 Bay Leaf

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Olive oil

Preparation:

Turn  Ninja on to stove top high and add olive oil

Add the stew meat and cook for 10 minutes or until browned

Add wine and let simmer for a minute or two.

Add beef broth

Add soy sauce

Add onion, celery, carrots, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and stir.

Add potatoes and stir.

Change Ninja cooking mode to slow cook and if on low it will take 7 hours and if on high 4 hours.

Thaw the peas and pearl onions and add in the last 10 minutes of cook time.

So, now you have four to seven hours to kill. You can probably get in 2 football games while you wait.

AND STUFF

You know from a prior And Stuff story She Who Must Be Obeyed and I attended the 2012 International Food Blogger Conference in Portland.  On day two of the event the schedule called for a Ninja Cooking System demonstration at noon. That totally conflicted with my personal schedule which mandated trying a Portland brewery for lunch. But, just prior to leaving I heard that Ninja was giving IFBC attendees a card for a comped NINJA. OK, that slowed my departure for the brewery just long enough for me to grab a card for a NINJA whatcha ma call it.

Truth is I didn’t attend the demonstration. But, upon my return  home I followed the instructions on the card to get me whatever it was.  The next Sunday morning while surfing TV I came across a NINJA Cooking system infomercial and learned what is was. This thing could be cool, very cool.

So, the box arrived, I opened it, washed everything, and began reading the instructions.  I totally get the one pot and steam cooking concept.  Not too sure I’m gonna bake a cake in the cute little baking pan, but who knows, maybe I will for giggles.

Show time.

Here we go, time to one-pot cook NINJA style easy beef stew. After a pilot error or two, I got things going.

The beef browned nicely in the NINJA on stove top mode.

 

 

Plenty of room for the rest of the ingredients.  All was going smooth….too smooth.

It came time to switch from stove top to slow cooker and ……. it was easy. When I switched to slow cooker (high) the timer immediately went to 4 hours. Nice.  Well there ya go, 4 hours to kill.  I picked up my son at school, and then pounded out this recipe and story. And boy, 4 hours is a long time to fill, maybe a martini is in order.

The darn thing works, real well. I can see cooking dressing in this baby at Thanksgiving.  Anyway, the recipe works with whatever slow cooker you have, enjoy, and you know what … this would be great in Mammoth….throw it together in the morning… go skiing …and about seven hours later you are having stew by the fireplace.

Scoreboard NINJA.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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Easy Apple and Sausage Casserole

Posted on September 27, 2012 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

This week’s easy recipe is based on a recipe I found in the Colorado Cache Cookbook, a wonderful cookbook published through the Junior League of Denver. The book, and the exact recipe, can be ordered through http://www.jld.org .

This easy to make apple and sausage casserole is great for brunch with family or friends.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Farmer John Classic Pork Link Sausage

6 medium granny apples – peeled and sliced

juice of 1/4 lemon

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Preparation:

Brown the sausage, and place on paper towel to soak up grease.

Slice sausage in half.

Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole.

To casserole add apple slices, sausage and and then gently mix.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Squeeze the juice of 1/4 lemon over the mixture.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture

Cover casserole and place in oven heated to 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Barbara’s pot luck brunch.

Plate with eggs, and toast and you are ready serve an easy yet wonderful brunch.

 

 

 

AND STUFF

Space Shuttle fly by over LAX

I was sitting at my desk, trying to work, fighting the urge to head out to watch the space shuttle Endeavour riding on top of a 747 fly over LA. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check the latest information on the Internet.  That’s when I learned the flight to LA had been delayed by about an hour or so. Oh, oh, there was still time for me bail on work and watch history unfold.

I concluded that If I was going to see history, rather than just seeing the fly over I should see the landing at LAX. I turned on the radio and learned that all the parking spaces around the end of the runway near Imperial were parked up.  Whatever,  I figured I could find a parking spot.

In fact I did find a parking spot. Unfortunately my parking spot was on the east side of all lanes of the 405 north and south. I parked on a neighborhood street, and began the long walk. Soon I approached a lone building with signage to the effect of “Girls, Girls, Girls”.  I made a mental note that if I ran out of energy on the long hot walk back that establishment could offer air conditioning and a cold drink. Now confident that I had an plan in place for all contingencies I started walking toward the east side of the north bound 405. Not so bad really, while walking under the 8 or so lanes I was in shade most of the time. It occurred to me that I was walking faster under the 405 than I drive down the 405 on many occasions.

Next I started my journey under the south bound 405. Finally, I skirted under a portion of the 105.  As I emerged from the freeways the sky became blue instead of the concrete gray.  On the downside, I was now walking  in close to high noon direct sun.

Eventually, I arrived at the fenced rental car parking lot at the edge of the runway. There was space for me to stand at the fence. Unfortunately the wire fencing was about two feet taller than me.  I would see the event from the perspective of someone peering out of a prison fence.

Unless. To my right was a gigantic pickup truck. A man, wife, and two sons were standing in the pickup bed waiting for the big event. And right next to me was the truck’s front left tire, the top of which was about 3 feet above ground level.

Space Shuttle on final approach to LAX

I politely asked the man if I could stand on his tire.  And he, likely pleased I didn’t want to stand in the truck bed,  told me to live it up.

Soon the spectacle of a 747 with the space shuttle Endeavour mounted on top, escorted  by two jet fighters unfolded.

Space Shuttle touching down at LAX

What a sight, what a day! First the 747 with fighter jet escort did a wheels up low fly by (first picture).  At the end of LAX they rose into the air to come around for the landing. After a few minutes the 747 returned for the final landing of the Endeavour. I’m sad to see the shuttle  program end, but I’m excited to see what NASA rolls out next. What a day.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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Easy Sausage And Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

Posted on September 17, 2012 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to get more sausage into my diet.  And then it came to me – sausage and rice stuffed bell peppers! This easy recipe can be made from start to plate in less than an hour.

 

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers

One and 1/4 lb. andouille sausage

1 medium onion – diced

One and 1/4 C cooked rice (for faster meal use 1 pouch Trader Joe’s frozen jasmine rice)

1/4 lb. minced fresh mushrooms

1/2 C beef broth

1/2 C Madeira

1 clove garlic – minced

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Gruyere cheese to taste – grated

Preparation:

In a large pot boil enough water to float bell peppers in.

While water heats, slice the top off each bell pepper and remove the seeds and ribs.

Prepare the onion, mushrooms, and garlic

Place the bell  peppers into the boiling water for 5 minutes. With oven gloves on, remove the pot from the heat, pour out boiling water and run cold water in the pot to cool the bell peppers (repeat as necessary). Pat the cooled bell peppers with paper towel.

In fry pan brown the sausage.  As it browns break sausage into small pieces.

Remove excess grease from pan.  Next spoon out browned sausage and set aside.

Place 1 Tsp butter in fry pan, add the onion, mushrooms and garlic.  Saute until onions are soft.

Add mustard to onion mixture and stir.

In sauce pan heat the beef broth, Madeira, lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp butter. Stir as the butter melts.

Pour sauce over the onion mixture and stir it in.

Add the rice and sausage to the onion mixture and stir to mix.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Place bell peppers in oven pan.

Fill each pepper with the stuffing mixture

Add about one inch of water to the oven pan.

Cook stuffed peppers in oven for 25 minutes.

Remove oven pan, grate Gruyere cheese onto top of each bell pepper and return pan to oven just long enough to melt the cheese.

And that’s all there is to making an easy awesome dinner for your family or dinner guests.

AND STUFF

I’m getting the air show bug again. It’s been about two years since the last time I went to the Miramar Air Show. This year the event is from October 12 through 14.  You can get more information at http://miramarairshow.com/tickets.html

Typically I fight my way down the 405 south and get to Miramar just about in time to run to the the viewing stands to watch the stunt pilot and military precision flying displays. Not this year.

This year my plan is to get on the road super early so I can beat the traffic. I want to arrive at Miramar early enough to park, hike to the tarmac, and watch the RC airplane club pilots show off their skills.  Next I’m going to casually walk the tarmac as I take in all  the planes on display.

Finally, it will be time to grab a beer and a Johnsonville Italian sausage sandwich and take my place in the stands. I should have about half my food down when the jet powered truck blasts down the runway.

No matter how many times I attend the show, I’m always surprised when the lone Blue Angel jet that earlier broke away from the formation, blasts from behind us and across the field, low and fast, very fast.

If you go to the air show, and you see me, be sure to say hi – real loud, so I can hear you over the roar of jets!

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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