Tuna & White Bean Salad

Serves 4 -6 (I think)

I like to make this and keep it in the fridge. Then when I need a snack, it's not only filling & delicious, but it's super healthy for you. Low in fat and calories but high in protein.

Ingredients

• 1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Juice of one lemon - about 3 tablespoons
• Good pinch Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• One 12 ounce can solid white tuna
• One 15 ounce can white cannellini beans, drained & rinsed (you can easily substitute with garbanzo beans)
• 1/2 cup leeks, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup of chopped parsley

Directions

1. Make the dressing: combine olive oil, sesame oil, soy, lemon juice and salt & pepper - mix really well & set aside
2. Put tuna in a large bowl and break up
3. Add beans, leeks and parsley - mix carefully not to break the beans
4. Toss with some of the dressing and serve

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Tuna Cakes with Lemon Salsa

Makes about twelve 2" cakes

Think crab cake - but with canned tuna. And before you dismiss them as crappy cuz it's canned tuna, maybe you should try them. Just a thought.

Ingredients

CAKES:

• 12 ounces canned tuna, drained
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• Juice of half a lemon

LEMON SALSA:

• 3 lemons peeled, seeded and diced small
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup cucumber, peeled and diced small
• 1 red jalapeno, diced tiny
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• Non-fat plain yogurt for serving

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine all ingredients for the tuna cakes
2. Shape into 12 cakes and cook in a medium hot pan wit olive oil until brown and crispy on both sides
3. While they cook, mix ingredients for salsa
4. Serve topped with a little yogurt and the salsa

Chimichurri

Makes about 1 cup

Thank you Argentina! This is so delicious on any kind of grilled meat, poultry, vegetables whatever. Even just to use for dipping grilled, crusty bread into would be insane

4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon each Kosher salt, cumin and crushed red pepper

3/4 cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried oregano)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

• Either put everything into a food processor and process until fairly smooth, or

• Hand chop everything, pout into a bowl and mix

• Either way it’ll be delicious - so use it on everything

Mexican Caesar

Serves 3 – maybe 4, but probably 3. Yeah 3 seems right.

This is at least a once a week item in our house (that means we like it)

Ingredients

• 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce, or about a tablespoon of anchovy paste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• 6 cups romaine lettuce, cut into small bites
• 1/2 pound bacon, cooked until crispy and then crumbled
• One 15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained and sauteed in a little oil until just starting to brown

Directions

1. Combine yogurt (or sour cream), garlic, fish sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire, milk and cilantro, mix until smooth -  season to taste with salt
2. Put romaine in a large bowl and add bacon, corn and dressing - toss well, add pepper and serve

Sriracha & Bacon Egg Salad Sandwich

Makes 2

We made this on the Livecast and everyone was very happy. VERY.

Ingredients

• 4 hard boiled eggs - if you're not sure how to properly hard boil eggs check out the recipe in the 'Things That Don't Fit In Any Other Category'
• 2 tablespoons diced green onion
• 2-3 tablespoons mayo
• About 1 1/2 tablespoons sriracha - it's up to you
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 6 slices bacon, cooked & crispy
• 4 slices good bread (whole wheat would be excellent), toasted
• Iceberg lettuce
• Mayo, to taste

Directions

1. Grate or chop eggs and put in a small bowl
2. Add green onion, mayo, sriracha & salt - mix well
3. Add a bed of lettuce to 2 slices of the toast, egg salad and then bacon - top with toast
4. Slice, eat and smile

Crispy Veal Cutlet & Garlicy Spinach Sandwich

Makes 3 sandwiches

Crispy thin veal with amazingly beautiful garlic spinach - I have only 2 words: Boo-ya!!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 2 cups Panko bread crumbs

• Salt & pepper

• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

• 1 pound thinly sliced veal

• Fresh mozzarella, sliced thin

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small bag fresh spinach

• 1 large clove garlic, minced

• 3 Ciabatta rolls

Directions

1. In 3 wide bowls put flour in one, beaten eggs in one and Panko in one

2. Season Panko with salt, pepper & Parmesan

3. In a large pan, add butter & olive oil over medium heat

4. Dredge veal slices in flour, then dip in egg, then in Panko

5. Cook in butter/oil about 2 1/2 minutes - flip and top with cheese - cook 2 minutes more

6. While it cooks, sautee spinach in oil until wilted - then stir in garlic - cook one minute

7. Slice rolls, drizzle with a little oil and cook in a non-stick pan until slightly golden brown

8. Serve by putting spinach on a roll and adding veal

9. Boom!

Baked Fish Sticks

Serves 3-4

Ah yes...fish sticks. Always crispy and oh so delicious. And deep fried - but not this time. We lighten everything up by baking them and using non-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Ingredients

• One pound cod (or your favorite white fish)
• 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup flour
• Kosher salt & pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 fat dill pickles, diced small
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Slice fish into finger-size pieces
3. Put flour, eggs and Panko crumbs into 3 separate wide, flat bowls
4. Season Panko with salt, pepper and dill
5. Put fish into flour bowl being sure it covers well and shake off any excess
6. Then into egg and finally into Panko (again covering well)
7. Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown
8. While they bake, combine yogurt, pickles, Worcestershire and lemon juice - mix well and set aside
9. Serve fish with tartar sauce

Simple Grilled Chicken

Makes one breast

A chicken breast can be tricky to cook cuz it's fat on one side and thin on the other. I like to flatten out the chicken so it cooks evenly - and then it has a million uses.

Ingredients

• One boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lime or lemon

Directions

1. Put the chicken breast in a Ziploc bag and add about a tablespoon of olive oil
2. Remove air, seal bag and flatten by pounding with something heavy (like a bottle of wine) until it's an even thickness
3. Heat a grill pan or skillet really well then season the chicken with Kosher salt & pepper
4. Put the chicken in the pan and cook until well marked and cooked - about 3 minutes
5. Flip and cook on second side for an additional 2-3 minutes or so (not too long so it stays juicy)
6. Remove from pan, give it a squeeze of lime or lemon juice, slice into strips across the grain and serve

Over Easy Fried Egg

Makes 1 egg

An over easy egg is one of the great joys in life - and learning how to make one without breaking the yolk is important. That being said, you might need to break a few yolks to master this. But once you do - put them everywhere: on some rice, a burger, a benedict, pancakes...the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients

• One egg
• Butter

Directions

1. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add a little butter
2. When the butter stops foaming, crack egg into the pan and season with salt and pepper
3. As the white part is starting to set, make sure to lightly loosen the edges with a spatula - you don’t want any sticking
4. If any white part tries to escape, herd it back into the oval-ish egg shape
5. NOTE: The key is to not flip too early
6. Once the whites are mostly set - which is anywhere from about 45 seconds to a minute - take your spatula and in one quick move, slide it completely under the egg and then gently flip it over
7. Now it’s only a matter of about 20-30 seconds on that side until it’s done
8. Use the quick motion with the spatula, slide under the egg and put wherever it's meant to go.

French Dip Au Jus

Makes 2 sandwiches

Old school, simple and stupidly delicious. What more can I say? Btw, the term 'au jus' means 'with juice', so asking "do you want that with au jus" is redundant. Don't want you to look silly. And yes, I am here for you.

Ingredients

• 1 large & 1 small yellow onion, both thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon dry vermouth

• 12 ounces beef stock

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons grainy mustard

• 1 tablespoon horseradish

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 2 French rolls, sliced lengthwise leaving a hinge

• 1/2 pound sliced roast beef, medium rare preferably

Directions

1. Put the large onion in a saute pan and the small onion in a small pot - place both over medium heat

2. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to each and the butter to the pan

3. The pan with the large onion now just needs to cook on low to slowly caramelize the onions

4. Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute, then remove pot from heat and add vermouth (to prevent a flare up)

5. Let vermouth cook about 30 seconds then return to heat and add soy and beef stock

6. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to simmer and cover, leave for 15 minutes - then strain liquid and keep warm

7. Combine mustard, horseradish and mayo - mix well

8. Put a generous layer of mayo on each roll, then the roast beef, some of the caramelized onions

9. Close up shop and eat, dipping into the jus

Seattle Salmon Skewers

Serves 4 people

Huge flavor but so damn simple. Skewers of seared salmon with an oh-so-delicious sauce of sweet chili, soy & lime juice.

Ingredients

• 2 lb fillet fatty Salmon, skin removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup sweet chili Sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 fresh lime, juiced
• 3 green onions, finely chopped fine
• Sesame seeds

Directions

1. Skewer 2 salmon cubes on each skewer, drizzle with oil and season with salt & pepper
2. Mix chili sauce, soy & lime juice - set aside
3. Heat grill pan to medium high and sear salmon about 2 minutes or until good grill marks – flip
4. Brush top with mixed well sauce and cook another minute or so
5. Serve on platter and drizzle over sauce and garnish with sprinkle of sesame seeds and green onions, and pour rest of sauce on side dish for dipping
6. Eat.

Chorizo Breakfast Tots

Serves 4

This is awesome, just try it.

Ingredients

• 1 28 ounce bag Tots
• 10 ounces Mexican Pork Chorizo
• 6 green onions, diced
• 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
• Eggs - poached, fried whatever for the top

Directions

1. Cook tots according to package directions
2. Put chorizo in a pan over medium heat and cook until cooked through, 5-7 minutes
3. When it's almost done, add in the green onion
4. Place cooked tots in an ovenproof dish - top with some chorizo then cheese and throw under the broiler until cheese melts
5. Remove from oven, top with more green onions, the egg...and enjoy

Buffalo Tots

Serves 4-6

Mental, ridiculous, so good...I'm almost speechless - though I can still eat.

Ingredients

• 28 ounce bag of tater tots
• 1 cup cup Franks Red Hot Wings Sauce or the regular - both are great
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup Ken's Chunky blue cheese dressing
• 1 cup pre-cooked deli chicken, shredded
• celery leaves, chopped for garnish

Directions

1. Cook tots according to package directions - but get 'em extra crispy
2. While they cook, combine hot sauce, honey and butter over low heat - stir to combine
3. Toss tots a portion at a time in some of the sauce (don't over sauce though), plate, add some chicken, drizzle with blue cheese dressing and top with celery leaves

Chicken, Bacon & Tot Hot Dish

Serves 6-8

Think of this as a cross between a casserole and a chicken pot pie, only with tots instead of pie dough. And how can that be bad?

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

• 1/2 pound uncooked bacon, chopped

• 2 tablespoons dry vermouth

• 2 cups cooked chicken - shredded or chopped, either is fine

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 cup frozen peas

• 1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme & sage

• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

• 1-2 tablespoons Sriracha

• One 26 ounce bag Tater Tots

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Cook bacon in a large pan until about halfway cooked - then add onions

3. Cook a couple more minutes and add mushrooms - continue until mushrooms are softened and bacon just getting done

4. Add vermouth and cook for 2 minutes

5. Sprinkle in flour and stir until everything is coated

6. Stir in chicken stock and milk, mix well

7. Add peas, thyme, sage & season generously with salt & pepper

8. Add Sriracha to taste, stir thoroughly

9. Pour mixture into a greased 9x9 baking dish and top lovingly with frozen tots

10. Bake for 30 minutes or until tots are crispy

Crab & Avo Grilled Cheese

Makes 2

I am most certainly a fan of crab. Whole, in parts or just the meat in a can - I love it all. But if buying in a can, get the pasteurized kind that's refrigerated - cuz the 'on-the-shelf' kind blows and pretty much anything you make with it will blow too.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1 large clove garlic

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

• Pinch kosher salt

• 4 slices sourdough bread

• softened butter

• 1/2 pound crab meat

• 1 avocado, sliced thin

• 8 slices jack cheese, sliced thin

Directions

1. Put mayo, garlic, parsley, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl - mix well

2. Top 2 slices of bread with some garlic mayo, then with 2 slices of cheese each, half the crab, half the avocado, remaining cheese and remaining bread

3. Butter one side of each sandwich and cook butter side down in a heated non-stick plan until golden brown (pushing down slightly with a spatula during cooking)

4. Butter top, flip over and cook again till golden

5. Remove, slice and eat :)

Thai Fish Curry

Serves 4-6

I love a simple curry, and this certainly fits the bill. The fish is added right near the end and stays super moist.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 14 ounce can coconut milk
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 pound snapper...grouper...basically any white fish - sliced in bite size pieces
• 1/3 - ½ large red pepper, diced small
• Chopped green onions & cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Cook onion and garlic in oil until softened - but not too soft
2. Add flour and curry powder to onion mixture
3. Stir well for a minute, add coconut milk and reg milk to your preferred thickness
4. Stir in Sriracha - let thicken and come to a simmer
5. Add snapper (or whatever you're using) and simmer until fish is cooked – about 10 minutes
6. While it finishes, cook red pepper in a little olive oil until slightly blackened and softened
7. Serve on rice and garnish with green onion, cilantro and some of the red pepper

Homemade Ice Pops

Makes as many as you want

You simply fill popsicle molds and put 'em in the freezer. And by the way - if you don't have popsicle molds, you can use a Dixie cup or any small cup with a popsicle stick, skewer or even chop stick.

Ingredients

• Lemonade
• Cranberry juice, oj, gj - or frankly any juice
• Ice tea, green tea - any tea
• Plain or flavored yogurt
• Chocolate milk
• Fresh fruit

Directions

1. The key here to have some fun - mix and match as you please. To make a striped pop, put in a little cranberry juice, let it freeze a bit then add some lemonade, let it freeze a bit then add some more cran and so on - get the idea?
2. Chocolate milk by itself is pretty wonderful
3. Layers of plain yogurt interspersed with layers of blended raspberries or any berry is crazy good
4. Or use all lemonade, let it freeze a little then push a few blueberries down into the middle of the pop for a cool look

Chunky Guacamole

Serves 4

There's guacamole, and then there's 'guacamole' if you know what I mean - and chunky is the way to go. There's no magic to this, it's just really good. And it totally beats the f outta that store bought crap, I mean stuff - no...I mean crap.

• 2 ripe avocados

• 1/2 medium tomato, seeded and diced

• 1/4 medium white onion, diced

• Juice from 1 lime

• 1 canned Chipotle, minced (just one, not one can)

• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

• Kosher salt to taste

• Halve avocados lengthwise and remove pit

• Scoop out flesh (what else do you call it?) with a large spoon into a bowl and mash up a bit. I said "a bit" - not into paste

• Add diced tomato, onion, lime juice, minced chipotle and cilantro - blend all into a beautifully chunky mixture

• Season to taste with salt

• Start eating

SHRIMP AND BOK CHOY

Take a break from your usual weeknight food with this simple, but so delicious Shrimp & Bok Choy recipe. Oh, and it’s healthy too!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian chili garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola, vegetable etc)
• 1 pound shrimp, peel & deveined
• 1 pound baby bok choy, ends removed & leaves separated
• Rice for serving
• 2 green onions, white & light green parts only - diced
• 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together Hoisin, soy, and chili sauce and set aside.

2. Heat wok until almost smoking and add oil. Put in shrimp and cook about a minute, then add bok choy. Stir everything until shrimp are just done and bok choy is wilted – 2 to 3 more minutes. Add sauce, mix through well and serve on rice.

3. Garnish with green onion.