Standing over the stove, I picked up my wooden spoon for a tiny sample.  Pleasantly surprised by what I tasted, I put the spoon down, replaced the lid on the pot and walked away.  Two minutes later I found myself back in front of the stove.  Maybe it needs more spices, I reasoned.  I had to taste again.  No, no more spices.  I walked away…again.

This game continued for a while.  I wouldn’t let the chili simmer in peace.  With each visit to the stove I rewarded myself with another bite, each succeeding one bigger than the last.  Finally, I had to admit to myself that I was no longer “just tasting”–I had shamelessly begun to eat right out of the pot.

I couldn’t help it–this was my first time ever making chili and I have Liren at Kitchen Confidante to thank for it. When she posted this chicken chili on her blog I had to have some, too, but I couldn’t just invite myself over.  Besides, it was a cold, rainy day–perfect conditions to try to make my own.

But instead of following a traditional recipe, I decided to try a variation that has always intrigued me–white chili.  It gets its name from the absence of tomatoes in the dish.  White beans, clear stock, and/or poultry are the typical main ingredients, contributing to its paler color.  Admittedly, my version doesn’t look that light but it’s still paler than a traditional chili.

After comparing a few recipes online, I learned that other ingredients appear to be staples in white chili: ground cumin, diced green chiles, chili powder, etc.  I settled on this recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes, making some tweaks with preparation and ingredient proportions along the way to suit me.

I will share, though, that what interested me most about this particular recipe was the use of ground cloves.  I did not notice it in the others I consulted but I liked the sound of it.  In the end, the cloves are what made this a winner for me.  I had whole cloves which I ground for this so the spice added a vibrant finish to the chili.  Paired with the cumin, they added a richness without overpowering the other ingredients.  I even used very lean ground turkey breast meat and canned canellini beans but the chili was still quite flavorful.  The possibilities for toppings are endless but ultimately I chose cilantro, yogurt (I had no sour cream), jalapeños, chopped tomatoes and pepper jack cheese.  Next time, avocados and chopped onions will join the party.  I was very happy with my first chili attempt and I am glad that there is plenty left of winter to allow me to enjoy it again.

White Turkey Chili

* Adapted from Simply Recipes

• 1 1/4 pound ground turkey breast meat
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (use the higher amount to suit your taste)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (the lesser amount did not add much heat)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (if you use freshly ground cloves like I did, the flavor will be more prominent)
• 2 pinches dried tarragon
• 3 cans cannellini beans (or other white bean)
• 2 4-oz cans diced green chilies
• 4 cups stock (I used chicken)
• Olive oil

For garnish:

• Chopped fresh cilantro
• sour cream (or yogurt)
• monterey jack cheese
• Chopped jalapeño peppers
• Chopped tomatoes
• Diced avocado
• Chopped onions

1. In a large pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Sauté the onions until they become translucent, about 2 minutes then add the ground turkey. Cook this mixture until the meat is no longer red then add the spices from the cumin to the tarragon in the list above.
2. Add the diced green chilies, beans and stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil then simmer for about one hour.
3. Ladle in bowls and garnish with preferred toppings.

His story opened with a recounting of childhood stunts that landed him in the town’s police station more often than he can remember.  But his days of being a delinquent end abruptly, replaced by the promise of Olympic glory when he discovers a talent for running.  As a lieutenant in the US Army Air Forces in 1943, he survives a plane crash but is stranded in the ocean for 47 days on a raft.  During this time, he and two other survivors are attacked by enemy air forces  and miraculously survive; he also comes face-to-face with a shark and lives to tell about it.  At the end of 47 days they see land but instead of reaching safety, they are captured and become prisoners of war.

You might be inclined to think all these adventures are the product of a writer’s imagination but these things actually happened to Louis Zamperini.  He is now 94 years old and his long-awaited visit to my church arrived this weekend.  Never have I seen such a happy man, full of life despite his advanced years.  His spirit and fervor were infectious, his story of brokenness and healing most inspiring but it was his smile that melted my heart.  I went home that day eager to learn more about him.  Laura Hillenbrand (of Seabiscuit fame) wrote an account of Mr. Zamperini’s life in Unbroken.  Ms. Hillenbrand once commented that after writing Seabiscuit she didn’t think she would ever come across a more interesting character…that is until she met Mr. Zamperini.  How right she was.

I prepared this dish the evening before hearing Mr. Zamperini speak.  The much needed rain arrived this weekend and though welcome, the clouds put a gray cast on most of the day.  I wanted something bright and cheery on my plate that night, something festive.  I chose my vegetables accordingly when I visited the market and ended up with this colorful dish.  Subconsciously I must have wanted to celebrate something, but what?  Having started to read Unbroken and anticipating the church visit the following morning, maybe a part of me wanted to celebrate someone’s life well-lived.  If I were lucky enough to have Mr. Zamperini in my home, I would proudly offer this dish in a celebratory meal and tell him that I would like to be just like him when I grow up!

* These chicken kabobs were marinated in rum, lime, orange, ginger, honey and a few other ingredients I saw fit to throw in.  The meat is light and brightly-flavored and was complemented by the barley which I cooked first in chicken stock.  I was curious if I could coax out more of the barley’s nuttiness if I stir-fried it like I do leftover rice and I was pleased to discover that it worked.  I added chopped bell peppers  and a dash of soy sauce for color and flavor, making it a nice accompaniment to the chicken.

** You may have noticed on the last couple of posts the other dish in my pictures that I have not mentioned.  My husband’s favorite salad of late is this simple red cabbage with avocado and mushrooms.  It is tossed simply in a garlicky balsamic vinaigrette–he has been requesting it every night.

Rum and Citrus Chicken Kabobs with Stir-Fried Barley

* Serves 2

• Juice of two limes
• Juice of 1/2 orange
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon honey (feel free to leave this out if you use more sugar or vice versa. I was playing around so added both)
• a pinch or two of dried chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1/3 cup rum
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 large boneless, skinless half breasts of chicken, cut up for the kabobs
• 1 cup barley
• 2 1/2 cups stock (I used chicken)
• 2 bell peppers, in large pieces for the kabobs and chopped small for the barley.
• 2 shallots
• a few mushrooms
• oil for stir-frying barley
• soy sauce, about 1 tablespoon

1. To prepare the marinade, combine the ingredients from the limes to the 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl.  Add the chicken pieces and marinate for at least 1 1/2 hours.  If you use the honey, you may want to combine it with the citrus first and heat to dissolve.
2. To prepare the barley, combine with the stock in a small saucepan, bring to a boil then simmer until cooked.  I started out with a 2:1 ratio of liquid to barley but that wasn’t enough. I kept adding stock until the barley was cooked, after about 45 minutes.  I might have ended up adding an additional 1/2 cup.  Fluff with a fork and let cool slightly.
3. Prepare the kabobs on skewers, alternating meat and vegetable pieces.  I ended up with 4 skewers with a couple of extra pieces of chicken.
4. For this dish, I used my stovetop cast iron grill pan.  If you use your grill outside, cook as you normally would.  On the stove and over high heat, it took about 10-12 min for my kabobs to cook.  At one point, I covered the grill pan so the steam would help the meat cook a bit faster without drying out the chicken.
5. While the kabobs are cooking, heat a bit of oil in a pan over high heat and cook the peppers until they start to brown a little, about 2 minutes.  Add the barley and stir-fry for another two minutes.  Add the soy sauce, stir and take off the heat.
6. Plate and serve.

I meant to say "carnitas tacos" but a second photo shoot was out of the question. The pork was all gone!

I do have a recipe to share with you today but before I get to it, I wanted an opportunity to unload a thought or two about my blogging experience these last (almost) two years.  Will I offer any useful information? Maybe…but this is a confessional.

I have always suspected that I have a mildly obsessive personality (disorder?) but I never could convince myself of this fact until I started blogging.  I have found each aspect of food blogging enjoyable–cooking, photography and writing–regardless of the amount time it demands at times to keep it going.  Selfishly, I consider it my me project, a form of expression that I have grown comfortable with considering a big part of me is shy and private by nature.  What I didn’t expect was to become so involved in the ancillary aspects of blogging.

I have mentioned a few times that blog props have become a recent obsession and I know I am not alone in this.  These days when I visit a shop I find myself spending more time in the housewares department than in any other.  In other departments, I am always on the lookout for interesting pieces that might tell a good story.  Do you spend time thinking about how you will style your next post?  I seem to be doing this more and more.  I am inspired by all the bloggers who do such a wonderful job post after post and I am motivated to do the same.  I am hooked.

Besides the props, I have been obsessed with colored backdrops for my food photos.  Though my favorite background is still the teak bench I’ve used in many of my posts, an outdoor photo shoot isn’t always practical.  Hence, in the last few months, Home Depot has captured my attention for tools I can use to make indoor shoots more interesting.  I have been playing with color, painting boards (above) to try to get a tone-on-tone look to my food shots that I haven’t quite been successful at capturing.  You might notice that I have not shared many posts using these colors but I’m determined to make them work.

You see, I have learned to use the manual setting of my camera only in the last six months.  Just as I became accustomed to taking pictures one way, these colors started to pose a bit more of a lighting/exposure challenge.  Is it bad that I will not share a recipe because I consider the photo shoot a fail?  I really should be focusing more on getting my lighting right during winter.  For example, in some of my food shots below, I forgot to turn off a nearby lamp and I didn’t notice that some of my images became over-exposed until during processing.  No amount of editing could fix them.  But I am sharing them today anyway.

I have also been experimenting with texture.  Until the last few months, I didn’t realize how easy it would be to purchase wood pieces at Home Depot.  They will cut the pieces to your specifications and sample-size paints are inexpensive enough that playing with different colors doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

The web is also a treasure trove of handy tips.  You can achieve that distressed look that is so popular by using Vaseline or candle wax when painting your wood pieces.

And did you know that laundry bleach could come in handy?  I have always liked the look of bleached wood but thought the process might be too involved.  Not so.  The redwood piece on the left has not been treated.  I brushed the one on the right with Clorox and after a day of sitting in the sun, it had faded to a nice pale shade.  The grains are still visible and while I had originally intended to paint over the bleached piece, I liked it so much that I decided to leave it as is (and used it for the photos below).

The metal department has proven to be a good source, too.  I really like the look of a gray palette in food pictures; a little darker, it conveys a nice wintry mood in pictures.  Again, I haven’t yet achieved the look I’m after–the sheet metal looked more like copper in this post–but they were still fun to use.  I will keep playing around.

I share all of this with you because 1) I would put my non-blogger friends to sleep talking of boards, props and paint and 2) because there are many talented food bloggers out there whose beautiful images entrance me with each post and motivate me to keep trying to do better.  I have a long way to go but gosh, this is fun!

If you’re a food blogger what obsessions have made their way into your life?

Now back to the food!

~~~

Regarding props, I do use a lot of items that I already have at home. The bag in this picture is an old souvenir from my husband's trip to Peru many years ago. It has faded over time but I thought it was perfect for this shoot.

This is a simple recipe for carnitas (“little meats”).  It is my meat of choice for tacos or enchiladas and it is very easy to prepare at home.  Typically, a piece of pork shoulder is braised or roasted but over the years, I have adapted to my sister’s way of preparing hers.  She doesn’t brown the meat first.  Instead, she simmers it in seasoned liquid then browns the meat after the former has evaporated.  The crunchy, caramelized bits of meat are my favorite pieces but this process leaves the insides of the pork moist and tender if that is what you prefer.

I have taken to adding spices to up the flavor of the meat while braising in the liquid.  Typical additions are cinnamon sticks, cumin, dried bay leaves, garlic and onions.  The cinnamon sticks impart not only a lovely flavor but also a wonderful aroma while the meat cooks.  I bought dehydrated onions once a few years ago for another recipe and in an attempt to use it up, I used it in my carnitas and liked it so much I have not looked back.  Once the liquid has evaporated, I turn up the heat, sprinkle a bit of paprika on the meat and fry it until the outside is brown and slightly crisp.  All you need are some tortillas (homemade really is best and very easy to prepare) and a simple salsa and you’re set for a fiesta in your kitchen.

Carnitas Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa

• 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-3 inch pieces (trim excess fat)
• 1/2 – 1 tbsp kosher salt (depending on amount of water you use)
• 1 -2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 3 tbsp dehydrated onions (not onion powder)
• 1 tbsp no-salt seasoning
• 1 tbsp granulated garlic (dried garlic powder, not garlic salt)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• water
• paprika (optional)
• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1 avocado, diced (you can add more)
• fresh lime juice, one or two (I had none so I had to use lemon)
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste
• Corn tortillas

.

I stand before the mirror and see the reflection.  It looks like me.  I belt out a few notes of a song and the quiet is polluted by off-key singing.  It certainly sounds like me.  Pardon the mild disbelief–this self-proclaimed non-cookie baker is sharing a second cookie post in as many weeks.  But I was on a mission to tackle just one more recipe.

It has been a dry, dry winter.  All around me are parched brown hills that are normally verdant this time of year.  This has not escaped my husband’s notice either.  He keeps a close eye on precipitation totals every winter as we rely on spring-fed water tanks to support a small parcel in a semi-rural part of the coast.  Over the years, he has put together quite the sophisticated system and has not once run out of water.  Mother Nature may answer to no one but she has heard our quiet pleas each year.  Still, he worries.

Despite the arid winter conditions, crisp, chilly nights also call for big steaming bowls of soup.  I had lentils on my mind recently and this meal in a bowl is what I came up with given the contents of my pantry and refrigerator.  The turmeric and curry powder infuse so much boldness into the dish that it belies its ease of preparation.

It is a hearty soup, too.  The lentils and potatoes give it body–I might even suggest that you don’t even need the chicken (or as much of it).  It is truly that comforting and filling.  Served alongside a crusty baguette, you will have all you need to warm you on a winter evening, or in the case of my husband, free you from rainfall worries even for just a little while.

Curried Lentil Soup

• 2 chicken breast halves, cut in bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 3 small turnips, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 small potatoes, chopped
• 5 cups stock (I used chicken)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• no-salt seasoning (optional)

1. Season chicken with salt, pepper and salt-free seasoning.  Cook lightly in olive oil over medium heat, remove from pot and set aside.
2. In the same pot and using the same oil that the chicken was browned in, cook the onions until they’re translucent then add the rest of the vegetables.  vegetables.  Cook them for a few minutes.
3. Add the turmeric and curry powder.  Stir with the vegetables until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the lentils, the browned chicken and 5 cups stock and simmer for about 35 -45 minutes or until lentils and veggies are tender.  Ladle into bowls and top w/ cilantro or parsley.

One of the things I appreciate about my childhood is the freedom my parents gave me to be adventurous in restaurants.  They were always of the mind that if my sisters and I were curious to try something from a menu, we should.  It allowed me, in a small way, to make my own food discoveries at a young age even if the experience at the time may not have always been pleasant.

Having been raised with a primarily Asian diet, I was no stranger to anchovies or shrimp paste–I liked both.  But cottage cheese? I considered it a fail when, at 10, I ordered it as an accompaniment to my breakfast.  Or how about Alfredo sauce?  This adult who loves all things rich and laden with cream pooh-poohed it in pasta as a child.  I was a red-sauce girl all the way.  Finally, growing up in San Francisco where potential food discoveries could be made around every corner even 30 years ago, I met my first portobello mushroom burger.  To me, a burger meant a beef patty and two buns.  When my order arrived and I saw the biggest mushroom I’ve ever seen at the time, no meat in sight, I was convinced that someone in the kitchen made a serious omission in preparing my “burger”.  This was during the days of the famous Wendy’s ad campaign.  I wanted to make like Clara Peller and say, “Where’s the beef?”

These days, all of these early “mistakes” are welcome foods in my kitchen.  I still don’t eat much cottage cheese (though I have developed a liking for it) but I would happily swim in creamy sauce if allowed.  Mushrooms? Love them.  However, a few years ago, something turned me off eating them raw.  They are a staple in my kitchen for my husband loves them in salads but I always take a pass and give them all to him.

In this dish, there is nary a raw mushroom in sight.  Cremini mushrooms are cooked down to extract their flavor and along with their dried porcini cousins, simmered in wine and cream for even more complexity and richness.  No beef necessary.

Note: I used a dried tagliatelle made with durum wheat and egg.  It had a bit too much bite even for this flavorful sauce so I would use a thinner pasta next time. I don’t ever buy “fresh” pasta from the grocery store but if you make your own tagliatelle, this would be no problem.  Alternatively, you can still use dried tagliatelle but don’t cook an entire pound for the amount of sauce below.

Tagliatelle in Rich Mushroom Sauce

* Serves 2.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, chopped and soaked in 1 cup luke warm water for about 2o minutes.  Reserve 1/2 cup of liquid.
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup half and half (feel free to use cream)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• salt and ground white pepper to taste
• 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or garnish
• 1/2 – 3/4 pound tagliatelle pasta (or spaghetti if you prefer)

I have been back from Maui for two days.  Mentally I feel recharged and ready to take on the new year, though I’m still a bit tired physically from the travel home and the errands that were waiting for me.  It always takes a day or two to shake off the travel dust but I don’t mind–the 11 days we spent on the beach more than make up for the post-travel fatigue.

While I was away I spent some time considering my resolutions for 2012.  Sure, the get-in-better-shape resolution is a given and I do try to stick to that throughout the year.  My husband and I set some joint goals, mainly to make a bigger effort to plan out our year before it flies by us once again.  It was also a good time to renew some personal, still unmet goals but one of the things I was excited to bring back into my life again is my journal.

When I pulled my notebook out from its secret place, I was disappointed to see that my last entry was from April 2010.  I have never ignored it for that long before (I have been keeping a diary since grade school and still have all of them).  It’s not that I haven’t written at all during this time but I’ve taken to the lazy route and have resorted to typing ideas on my computer or writing them on a piece of paper.  Once my thoughts were organized I would promptly discard the file or the note.  It was not the same–I didn’t like not having the old notes to reflect on.  I’ve always had this strange notion that I am most honest with myself when I write things down.  I can float around ideas in my head but somehow truth and clarity always come when I document them.  Thankfully, my momentary disappointment at neglecting my journal gave way to pleasant feelings as I read some previous entries–it was like being reunited with an old friend.  I will make a sincere effort to stick to this resolution.

Something else that I wanted to bring back into my life was an oatmeal raisin cookie.  The craving was understandable since I had not baked a batch in quite a while and after being away from my kitchen for so long, I was only too happy to get to work.

These cookies are thick and packed with oats.  They are also a far cry from the first oatmeal-raisin cookies I used to bake many years ago.  My original recipe contained no butter and used overripe bananas and applesauce.  Looking back now they were on the dry side and were only good right out of the oven.  I never served them to company–they were meant to be a guilt-free treat for me and my husband–but I hear a friend had a taste of them one day and his facial expression upon tasting one cookie said it all.  Maybe it’s a good thing that recipe is history.

This version is much better.  It is a product of combining a few recipes I’ve collected over time and it does embrace the use of butter.  I still cut back on sugar when I can (and this compromises the chewiness of the cookie) but the addition of chocolate chips makes up for it, I think.  They are entirely optional but I had an opened bag of semisweet chips in the refrigerator that was begging to be used.  The raisins and chocolate provide ample sweetness here and the healthy portion of oats lends almost a nutty quality to the cookies.  While making this batch last night I forgot to add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar mixture before adding the flour.  Rather than giving up, I beat the eggs in a separate bowl and stirred them into the rest of the batter.  It didn’t hurt the cookies a bit, but next time I might wait until morning to answer my craving.

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

* Makes about 27 cookies

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (you can use any brown sugar you have. Feel free to use only one type for the entire cup measure)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Add the vanilla extract to the raisins in a bowl and allow the raisins to absorb the flavor for 30-minutes to 1 hour.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
5. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until it’s creamy.  Add all the sugar and beat for another few minutes until light and fluffy in texture.  Add the eggs, beating between additions.
6. Stir the dry ingredients into the mixture then add the oats, raisins and chocolate chips.
7. Roll two-inch portions of dough into a ball.  I use a two tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop to make the job much easier.
8. Place the balls on a baking sheet about two inches apart and bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes.  I use the convection feature of my oven so it may take up to 22-23 minutes otherwise.  Make sure to rotate the baking pans top to bottom, front to back during the baking period.
9. Take the cookies out of the oven and cool them on a wire rack before serving.

My island holiday is coming to a close.  It has been magical celebrating Christmas and New Year seaside.  I am reluctant to bid the beach farewell but I know our goodbye is temporary.  I will return.

Before long I will once again be scouring the beach for shells and jogging along the ocean, the breeze keeping me cool.  I will again take pictures (for the hundredth time) of the same vistas, the same objects that captivate me on each visit but whose beauty I can never quite capture with my camera.  But it’s fun to keep trying.

Truthfully, a part of me is ready to return home.  In exchange for sun and sand, I am ready to call on the new year’s promises.  I am excited about 2012.  There are so many things I want to do and gazing at the ocean all day long probably won’t help me accomplish any of them.

I also miss my kitchen.  One minor drawback of traveling is that I do tire of eating out all the time; I miss my own cooking.  So while I was perusing the wine inventory at the Honolua Store, I was excited to spot bucatini on a nearby shelf.  I planned a simple dish around it using fresh ingredients and we were happy to eat another meal from the comfort of our own balcony.

Fresh shrimp and fish are very accessible here on the islands but I can never find fresh clams.  I used the canned variety to up the seafood flavor but a healthy portion of white wine, olive oil, butter, garlic and lime juice made the dish. I also threw in a few mushrooms and a jalapeño, resulting in a very flavorful seafood dish.

Oh, and I just had to share…my fellow bloggers will understand.

I have never been one to collect kitsch while traveling.  My souvenir of choice is always a baseball hat (well I picked up a gorgeous new sunhat this time, too).  These days, however, I find myself attracted to little items that might make a good prop for the blog.  I have to be careful, though.  My husband is on to me and my prop obsession.  He thinks I’m out of control (that’s debatable).  Still, I happily walked out of the Honolua Logo Shop with this cute little tea towel that came in handy for this post.

Happy New Year!

Bucatini with Shrimp, Butterfish and White Wine

• 1/2 pound fresh shrimp
• 1/2 pound butterfish (or any other white meat fish), in bite-size chunks
• 3-4 cup white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 small can minced clams with juice
• 3 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Olive oil (for sautéing and for garnish)
• chopped parsley (flat-leaf parsley wasn’t available)
• 1 pound bucatini pasta (or spaghetti)
• salt and pepper to taste

I couldn’t let this year close without one more post.  I am still on vacation–will be ringing in 2012 on the beach.  I just wanted a chance to thank you for keeping me company here and for making 2011 such a fun blogging year–I’m looking forward to sharing more delicious times with you!

I have limited kitchen resources at my disposal but the warm, tropical weather I’ve been enjoying here in Maui inspired me to create something refreshing for my taste buds.  What started out as an idea for an appetizer using Belgian endives was not to be, but making use of the freshest ingredients at the market yielded this winner of a salad.  I seared a half-pound piece of fresh ahi and added it to mizuna leaves, green mango strips and avocado, all tossed in a simple lime vinaigrette.  The result was a fresh, bright combination of flavors and complementary textures.

Please excuse the less-than-pretty assembly and the stingy ahi serving.  My dull knife wouldn’t allow for clean slices so only a few pieces were worthy of a photo.  Not to worry–we ate all of the fish, pretty or not.  We enjoyed healthy helpings of this salad while gazing contentedly at the magnificent Pacific Ocean from our balcony…but beautiful scenery is completely optional.  This salad is tasty enough to stand on its own.  In fact, I can’t wait to prepare it when I return home.

Seared Ahi, Mizuna, Green Mango and Avocado Salad

* Serves 2

• 1/2 pound piece of fresh ahi
• 1 bunch mizuna leaves (or use the slightly more peppery arugula)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 mango, peeled and sliced thinly
• Juice of one lime
• Olive oil
• salt and pepper
• wasabi, optional (I will add a bit of wasabi paste to the dressing next time)

1. Sear the ahi on 4 sides, lengthwise over high heat.  Make sure the oil is very hot to prevent sticking to the pan.  Set aside.
2. To prepare the dressing, combine lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Add as much olive oil as you need to balance out the tartness of the dressing.  I went a little heavier to counter the tartness of the green mango.
3. Toss the mizuna, mango and avocado in the lime vinaigrette and arrange on a plate.
4. Slice the seared ahi and serve on top of the salad.

Filed under: Salads, Seafood, Side Dishes, Tuna, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette ]]> http://lemonsandanchovies.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/seared-ahi-mizuna-green-mango-and-avocado-salad/feed/ 6 lemonsandanchovies Seared Ahi with Mizuna, Mango and Avocado Seared Ahi with Mizuna, Green Mango and Avocado Kapalua 0001N9 http://lemonsandanchovies.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/white-bean-dip/ http://lemonsandanchovies.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/white-bean-dip/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:18:03 +0000 Lemons & Anchovies http://lemonsandanchovies.wordpress.com/?p=8255 ]]>

We are left with only a few days before we ring in the new year.  Was it a good year for you or is it one better left behind?  Good or bad, what’s great about opening up that first page of the calendar is that it is a marker for new beginnings.  On the health/lifestyle front–for most of us–ambitious plans for a fitter, healthier 2012 will be in place by the time the last drop of champagne is sipped and the last bits of twinkling confetti are dusted off our clothes.  I will join the masses in trying to stick to this (re)new(ed) every year resolution by joining the crowds at the gym…at least for the first few weeks!  Who hasn’t indulged a bit more than necessary since Thanksgiving?

To make up for the holiday binge, I have been easing back into rotation some of my figure-friendlier snacks.  This white bean dip will not compromise any of your fitness resolutions but it is not short on flavor either.  Garlic is the key here.  The mellow quality of the cannellini beans showcases them quite well.  Puréed until smooth, the dip is cloud-like in texture, lemony and full of garlicky punch.  You’ll be well on your way to meeting your new year diet goals with this dip.  Enjoy!

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 Incidentally, my husband and I decided to have a tropical Christmas this year.  It was a spontaneous move that caused anxiety for the time shortage leading to the holidays but now that we’re here, I am having a grand time.  Here are just a few snapshots of our holiday, so far.  Aloha and Happy New Year!

White Bean Dip

• 2 cans cannellini beans (drained)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed (2 – 3 would be fine for a less prominent garlic flavor)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 – 5 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• paprika
• tahini 1/2 – 1 tbsp (optional. I always have some around for hummus. A little goes a long way here)

Purée the beans, garlic, lemon juice and tahini in a food processor.  Add salt  to taste.  Chill in refrigerator for at least a half hour for the flavors to meld and sprinkle with paprika before serving.