Halibut Ceviche Tacos

I love making ceviche. So simple and flavorful. You could easily serve this with tortilla chips instead as an hors d'ouvres.

12 oz halibut filet, skinned, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
Juice and zest from 1 orange
Juice from 2 limes
Juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 minced jalapeño
4 tablespoons of coconut milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon fish sauce or soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

1 ripe avocado cut into thin slices
4 taco shells

1 mango (optional)
Shredded iceberg lettuce (optional)

Servings: 4 as an appetizer

Combine halibut, juices, zest, jalapeño in a re-sealable container and let sit 18-24 hours in the fridge. The acids from the citrus will "cook" the halibut. Remove, drain juice and place in medium size bowl.
Add the coconut milk, cilantro, sugar, fish sauce and salt and pepper. Add the mango if using.
Place a small handful of shredded lettuce inside the bottom of the taco shell. Fill with halibut mixture and top with a slice of the avocado.

Chipotle Tomato Bean Casserole with Cilantro Pesto

So this isn't my concoction, but I figured it was so yum and made by my lovely friend Ambrosia that it should be shared anyway. The recipe itself is from this great site.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/

I am so very envious of her photos. She could make a crust of bread look tantalizing.

1 pound of large, dried white beans (corona, giant limas, gigantes, or any giant white beans you can find), rinsed, picked over and soaked overnight - or up to 24 hours.

Chipotle-tomato sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 big pinches of red pepper flakes
2 pinches of salt
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves1 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers

Cilantro Pesto
1 medium clove of garlic1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
big pinch of salt
2/3 cup kale or chard, washed, de-stemmed, and very finely chopped
1 cup feta cheese
1 1/2 cup whole-grain breadcrumbs, toasted in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil

Serves: 6

To prepare the beans. Drain and rinse the beans after their overnight soak. Then place them in a large saucepan and cover with an inch or two of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beans are cooked through and just tender. This can take anywhere from an hour to two hours (potentially more) depending on your beans, but do your best to avoid overcooking. Remove from heat, salt the beans (still in bean broth) with about a tablespoon of salt - enough that the bean liquid is tasty but on the salty side. Let the beans sit like this for ten minutes or so before draining and setting the beans aside.

In the meantime, make your tomato sauce. Place the 2 tablespoons olive oil, red pepper flakes, couple pinches of salt, and chopped garlic into a cold medium saucepan. Stir while you heat the saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute just 45 seconds or so until everything is fragrant - you don't want the garlic to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and the fresh oregano and heat to a gentle simmer, this takes just a couple minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the adobo sauce.
Make the cilantro pesto by combining the clove of garlic and cilantro in a food processor. Pulse while you drizzle in the olive oil - alternately, you could do this by hand. Season with a bit of salt and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. In a 9x13 baking pan (or large oven-proof casserole/dutch oven) toss the beans with the tomato sauce and the kale. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake in the top-third of the oven for roughly twenty-five to forty minutes, I look for the cheese to start browning and any visible beans to get a bit crusty. Remove from oven and let sit for about ten minutes. Top the beans with the breadcrumbs and just before serving drizzle with the cilantro pesto.

Recipe: Asian Asparagus

This is week 3 of my asparagus consumption and I still am not sick of it. They are so cheap and so good right now. And I have yet to run out of ideas on how to eat them...
My latest concoction is this easy, easy recipe. And it is a FLAVOUR BURST!

My friend Sam showed her appreciation for it below...

2 pounds asparagus
Juice from one lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 drops of Sriracha chili sauce (this stuff is HOT!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Black sesame seeds (optional)

Servings: 6 as a side dish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a medium bowl whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, chili and cilantro. .
Snap off ends of asparagus where they naturally break. Toss with olive oil and lime juice. Place in oven for approximately 10 minutes or until tender with a slight resistance/crunch.
Remove from oven and cut into 2 inch slices and toss with marinade. Serve immediately with or without black sesame seeds on top.

Recipe: Watermelon & Cucumber Salad

This salad is the best thing ever on a hot summer day. Actually it is pretty damn tasty any day. Super-refreshing. Major FLAVOUR BURST.

1 ¼ lbs field cucumbers
3 cups watermelon cubes 3/4 of an inch think
½ c loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
¼ c loosely packed shredded fresh basil leaves

Dressing
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 ½ tbsp soft brown sugar
1 large garlic clove, crushed and minced
1 tablespoon of diced jalapeno pepper (2 if you like it a bit spicier)

Servings: 4-6

Peel cucumbers, discarding the seed core. Cut the cucumber into 1/4 inch slices and then chop in half again. Mix cucumbers and watermelon in a large bowl. Add cilantro and basil.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the lime or lemon juice, sugar, garlic, and jalapeno.

Pour over watermelon and cucumber mix. Toss.

Recipe: Tuna & Avocado Cones

This may be the cutest appetizer I have ever made. Wonton wrappers wrapped around these fantastic little aluminum cones I bought at the Gourmet Warehouse.
http://www.gourmetwarehouse.ca/
Filled with ahi tuna, cilantro-ponzu mayonnaise and then topped with a little scoop of avocado and black sesame seeds. It is the perfect kick off to summer hors d'oeuvres. If you don't have the aluminum cones a mini muffin container will work or even just baking the wonton wrappers flat on a cookie sheet. But of course the adorable and niche factor goes down dramatically. Taste does not.

1 ahi tuna steak (approximately 1/2 a pound or 1/2 cups diced)
1 avocado
1 green onion diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons ponzu sauce (or soy sauce)
1/8 teaspoon chili oil
1 shallot
3 tablespoons sesame oil DIVIDED
1/2 teaspoon lime rind
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
20 round wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil in a bowl. Take wonton wrappers and brush each side with a small amount of the sesame oil and wrap around the cone or muffin tin. Bake for approximately 15 minutes rotating midway until a light golden brown.



Remove from oven and let cool.

In a food processor blend together cilantro through mayonnaise using one of the tablespoons of sesame oil.

Dice the tuna into small cubes about 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch. Add to mayonnaise and coat thoroughly.

With a small melon ball scooper take avocado and scoop out small round balls.

To assemble take a cone and fill with avocado mixture and top with a avocado ball. Sprinkle a pinch of the sesame seeds on top.

Recipe: Chipotle & Lime Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes and chipotle. You cannot go wrong with this combination. Or at least that is what my tastebuds think. This is easy and can be served warm or cold as a potato salad. I have gotten positive reactions when I have served it and I hope you will too.

4 large sweet potatoes
1 bunch of cilantro roughly chopped
4 limes
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/4-1/2 cup chopped green onions (optional)

Serves 8

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large salad bowl add half of the chopped cilantro, oils, chipotle, garlic and zest from two limes and the juice from all four (should be approx 1/2 cup) and salt. Peel sweet potatoes and chop into large 1 inch think slices.

Toss in bowl and make sure to coat well.
Pour onto a large baking sheet and place in oven for 45-60 minutes or until sweet potatoes are cooked. Remove and add remaining cilantro and green onions.
HINT: If you have the time and want the extra FLAVOUR BURST place sweet potatoes individually on a bbq and sear each side for around 2 minutes until grilled.