Busy Moms

Black Fin Tuna is the Star of the night…….

By now you might have figured out that Japanese is the most frequent food of choice at our home!

Yesterdays Tuna Tataki was fabulous, and as I still had some fresh Black Fin Tuna leftover, I embarked on a crusade to make the best ever Spicy Tuna Tartare Tacos, Spicy Tuna Tartare Rolls, and some Tuna and Cream Cheese Rolls.

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Started by trying to figure out how to get my lovely Dumpling Wrappers to look like a Taco! After a little bit of trial and error I managed to get the right technique going and my Tacos were born :-)!

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In the meantime, I put 2 cups of sushi rice with 2 1/2 cups of water and let it cook away……

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Now it was time to make the Tuna Tartare. Took the skin and bones out of the rest of the fresh Black Fin Tuna that my lovely hubby brought home yesterday! Had to mention this to make him happy ❤

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Chopped it up nicely, seasoned it with some chopped green onions, some grated onion and ginger, drizzle of sesame oil, salt, pepper and some Sriracha Mayo for a nice kick.

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Kept the tuna tartare chilled in the fridge whilst waiting for the sushi rice to rest a bit before I tackled it.

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Once rice had rested enough, I added the season rice wine vinegar, gave it a quick toss and now it was time to put together my Tuna and Cream Cheese and Spicy Tuna Tartare Sushi Rolls.

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Once they were done, it was time to put together the Tacos!

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In went some rice, followed by a drizzle of Sriracha Mayo and topped with the deliciously freshly made Spicy Tuna Tartare…..

Dinner is served and I must say that having Tuna freshly caught is the best thing ever!

Now I have to figure out how to get the hubby to get me some more, more often :-).

Note to self – Jalapeño Salsa is really hot!

So not much of a proper culinary posting tonight as there wasn’t much of the homemade stuff, but as usual behind every meal there is some kind of funny story!

Today became Kick your butt Taco Wednesday by mistake 🙂

With that said, I got all my ingredients out, sorry impromptu dinner, all out of jars:

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I decided I would behave and make the 1 perfect soft taco and piled the following ingredients on it:

  • Arugula, Seasoned meat, Salsa, a lot, I repeat, a lot of jalapeño salsa, Banana peppers, sour cream and guacamole!

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After I piled it all on, I decided to taste the Jalapeño salsa on its own and OMG, deep down under I wished I hadn’t piled it on so much but too late now, time to face the music, or should I say the heat?

Have to say it was very tasty and delicious but I for sure felt like the featured cartoon!

Moral of this posting, always taste before you add something! lol

Food and music go hand in hand…….

When I cook, I am always humming or singing to some song that just pops up in my head.

Today I found myself humming for over 1/2 to the tune of one of Uruguays Anthems “Himno a Artigas” which is not particularly joyful or the kind of thing one would hum to, so that made me think that my subconscious was connecting the food I was making to the song? 

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The other day I was in Sedanos, our local latino store and bumped into some Morcilla Dulce aka Sweet Black Pudding or Blood Sausage and next to it was some Chorizo Picante aka Hot Sausage. If I can’t get Uruguayan one I will settle for the Argentinian ones :-).

So I bought them both and that is what I decided to make for dinner tonight!

I parboiled some lovely red and yellow baby potatoes and sautéed some onions, garlic, green and red peppers. The sliced chorizo and whole morcillas went into the oven.

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Then I got the Morcilla out of the oven, sliced it and served it with some fresh bread and had it as an appetizer! My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the meal as we are the only ones at home that eat it!I

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Once the chorizo was cooked, I added the potatoes and veggies and let them all roast together in the oven.

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The last minute dinner mush went down very well with a dollop of sour cream and was gone in a flash!

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Cooking with love…….dinner for the hubby & I

Home alone with the hubby, no kids or teenagers in sight. Time for a simple tasty meal with my honey.

Got some lovely pork cutlets, took most of the fat off, then breaded them in some panko bread crumbs heavily seasoned with herbs and baked in the over at 400 deg F for 20 minutes.

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In the meantime I flash boiled some courgettes and broccoli and then quickly sautéed them with lots of ginger, black and toasted sesame seeds.

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Plated the veggies, added the pork and topped the pork with a drizzle of tamarind sauce!

Dinner ready in 30 minutes, quick, easy and oh so tasty!

Its just another Manic Monday…….and its time for dinner :-)

Yes I know, Monday’s are horrible, you get up after the weekend is over needing more rest than you did when Friday came around…..

But the fact is that life still goes on, we get up in the morning, get ready for work, make breakfast, do packed lunches, take kids to school, drive to work in icky traffic, work all day and then back to the kids and time to cook dinner!

As tired as I am, I still find a lot of joy and relaxation whilst making dinner. Its my alone time in the kitchen and the results of what comes out makes everyone happy! What is there not to like about that right?

Tonight I made one of my hubby’s favorite proteins paired with one of my favorite veggies.

Poached salmon with herbs, butter and garlic served on a bed of mashed cauliflower.

FOR THE SALMON…

  • Get a pan and fill half way with water and place in oven AT 385 DEG F
  • Place your salmon on some aluminum foil, enough foil to make it into a tight package.
  • Season salmon to taste, I seasoned it with salt, pepper, freshly crushed garlic, butter, lemon juice and thyme
  • Seal package tightly and place in pan with water
  • Cook for 20 minutes, then open package to vent and cook for an extra 10 minutes.

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FOR THE CAULIFLOWER…

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  • Boil cauliflower in water seasoned with salt and garlic powder
  • Once its soft, drain water and place in food processor
  • Add a tsp of butter, handful of cilantro or parsley, clove of garlic, salt and pepper and  blend away till nicely mushed!

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And voila, in 30 minutes you have a delicious nutritional meal, make the family happy and have plenty of time to tackle the evening chores!!!!!

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Thai Red Chicken Curry……dinner made with love

There is nothing better than a home cooked meal. And even better than that is cooking the meal for the ones you love.

One of my sons favorite dishes is Thai Red Chicken Curry, actually, he just likes any type of curry so I vary between, Massaman Curry, Thai Green Curry, Korma’s, etc….. love them all.

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So for tomorrow night my aromatic Thai Red Chicken curry is in the making. I always love making them a day ahead because I think they taste better the next day.

Ingredients:

In a medium sauce pan, sauté the chopped onions in a little bit of olive oil together with the Thai Red Curry Paste. Then add the can of coconut milk and the brown sugar and bring to a simmer.

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Add the chopped chicken and potatoes and the Kaffir Lime Leaves. Lower the heat, cover with lid and let it simmer away until the potatoes are fully cooked.

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As I said, curry’s always taste better the next day! I also love making this same recipe without the chicken and adding a bunch of veggies for a delightful Red Thai Vegetarian Curry!

Andy’s Greek Salad Wrap…..

Sweltering hot weather in South Florida calls for nice light, heathy, tasty and refreshing lunch that can be made in no time!

I went to Whole Foods this morning to buy a few special ingredients and got caught between the Cheese Section and the Olive Bar!

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We all know what happens when the Kalamata Olives meet the Feta Cheese in your trolley! Yes, Greek Salad it is!

My fridge always has Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Onions so the rest of it was easy……

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Chop up the Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Onions. A pet peeve I have is that in my salad everything has to be the perfect bite size and they all have to be slightly the same size! For this I have to thank a wonderful boss I had “Sally Cruickshank” whilst working in a Pub in London “The White Horse on Parsons Green“. She would always say, “Don’t be silly, nobody wants to have to cut their salad”!

Anyway, back to my salad…..

Tossed the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a bowl, added the cubed Feta Cheese, Calamata Olives, some chopped Cilantro, a nice drizzle of olive oil and vinegar, a squeeze of lime and salt and pepper to taste.

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I crisped up a Low Carb Tortilla and then topped it with some of my lovely Greek Salad for a finger licking, deliciously refreshing Greek Salad wrap!

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