Battle Citrus

This is how we Iron Chef: 4 friends, 4 dishes

Secret Ingredient: Citrus

Appetizer: Mini Chicken Tacos with Roasted Lemon Salsa and Avocado Lime Creme (served with a margarita shot)

Best Presentation

Main: Duck Breast with Tea Infused Orange Sauce

Best Taste

Side: Citrus Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Best Use of the Secret Ingredient

Dessert:
Lemon Pepper Cookies with Zesty Lemon Sorbet and French Vanilla Ice Cream

Most Creative use of the Secret Ingredient

Pork Au Poivre

One of my favorite shows on the Food Network is Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger.
I used a pork roast in my version and the results were outstanding. I also changed the method a bit. The pork was juicy and the flavor was delicious! This is also a very easy dish to make.
This recipe calls for red wine. It's always good to cook with good wine. This recipe only calls for a little, so you can enjoy the reminder of the bottle with dinner. Sure, it ain't pretty, but it really is so delicious:


Ingredients:

Pork Roast or tenderloin
1 c. red wine (I used a Pinot from the Willamette Valley)
1/2 c. Chicken broth
1 T. Dijon mustard
Olive Oil
S + P
Parsley for garnish

1. Butterfly the roast to make a large, flat piece.

2. Marinate for about an hour in half of the wine, chicken broth, lots of fresh ground pepper, and Dijon.

3. Over medium-high heat, pour a little olive oil in the pan. Sear the meat until it is lightly browned.

4. Place into a 375 degree over for about 45 minutes until it is thoroughly cooked.

5. Place the pork on plate and tent with foil.

6. Deglaze the pan with the rest of the wine and allow the wine to reduce by half. Pour any juices from the pork into the sauce.

7. Slice the pork against the grain and place onto a serving dish.

8. Pour the sauce over the pork and serve.

Tuscan Steak with Arugula

This dish is so filling and actually quite healthy. The oregano is a predominant flavor in the marinade and vinaigrette. I prefer a mix of spinach and arugula, as the arugula has a strong, spicy flavor and is a bit overwhelming on its own. The spinach and/or arugula wilts slightly under the heat of the steak and its juices.


Ingredients:
Steak (I used sirloin, but you could use New York or Flank)
Arugula or Spinach or a mixture, a large handful for each person.
1/2 Onion or 1 shallot, minced
2 gloves Garlic, minced then mashed
1-2 T. Oregano
1/2 c. Red Wine Vinegar
1 T. Dijon Mustard
1/4 c. Light Olive Oil
1.4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Lemon
s+p
Parm
Crusty bread

1. Marinate the steak for about an hour in olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, minced onion, lemon.
2. Brown the steak over medium-high heat in an oven safe pan.
3. Place pan into a 425 degree oven until it is done to your liking.
4. For the vinaigrette: mix together half of the vinegar, juice from 1/2 lemon, 1/2 of the onion/shallot, Dijon, s+p, oregano. Slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil while whisking to emulsify.
5. Pull the steak out and tent with foil. Reserve the juice to pour over greens. After 5- 10 minutes, slice the steak on the bias.
6. Pile spinach/arugula onto you plate. Drizzle steak juices over the greens.
7. Place the sliced steak over the greens. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with shaved parm. Serve with warm crusty bread.

Friends and Family

I'd like the chance to showcase some of my friend's and family's food. I'd love it if any of my friends or family would send me a picture and/or recipe they have made.

First up: My brother made a Lobster Ravioli with his new pasta attachment for his KitchenAid:

My dad's contribution. Delicious!

Tri-tip Pot Roast

This is a tasty and different way to try sirloin tri-tip, other than the standard barbeque variations. Like any pot roast, it’s easy to adapt with other herbs and vegetables.

Ingredients:

2-3 lb. tri-tip

2 T. olive or other oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 carrot, cut up

2 celery stalks, cut up

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. flour

3 c. low-fat beef or chicken broth

1 c. red wine

1 T. thyme

Additional vegetables:

2 carrots, cut large

3 potatoes, cut large

2 celery stalks, cut up

1 onion, peeled and quartered

1. Trim fat and membrane from meat, then pat dry and rub with fresh-cracked pepper.

2. Heat oil in heavy pot on high heat. Add meat and brown on both sides. Remove meat, set aside

3. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, carrot and celery. Stir for 5 minutes, then add flour and stir.

4. Add broth, broth and thyme, then replace meat. Reduce heat, cover and cook at simmer until meat is tender (about 2 hours).

5. After 1-1/2 hours, cook additional vegetables.

6. Remove meat and strain liquid.

7. For sauce: Puree’ vegetables strained from meat liquid. Re-mix with 1 or 2 c. of cooking liquid, and thicken with additional flour over low heat.

8. Slice tri-tip and arrange on platter with additional vegetables. Pour sauce over, or serve it separately.

Roasted Garlic Hummus & Pita Chips

Hummus is a staple snack in our house. Fresh is best. This is a basic hummus recipe with one difference: the addition of roasted garlic.

Ingredients:

1 Head of garlic, roasted

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 c. of roasted tahini (sesame paste)

the juice of 1 lemon

1/4 c. - 1/2 c. water

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 t. salt

Pita Chips:

1 package of pita bread (white or wheat)

3 cloves garlic

4 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

S + P

Garnish:

Toasted pine nuts (I just toast them in a skillet)

Sesame seeds (I used black)

2 Cloves roasted garlic

Extra virgin olive oil

Parsley

1. Roast the garlic. I chop of the top, taking care to expose any unexposed cloves, coat with olive oil, and put it in a 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.

2. In a food processor, combine the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, roasted garlic, and salt. Process thoroughly.

3. Add in just enough water to make a smooth consistency. Just add a little at a time.

4. For the pita chips: Cut the pita into a square shape.

5. Make a spread of butter, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

6. Spread the pita squares with the mixture.

7. Cut the pita chips into strips, about 3/4" to 1" thick. Place onto a cookie sheet.

8. Put into a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden and crunchy.

9. Garnish the hummus with a bit of olive oil, sesame seeds, a couple cloves of roasted garlic, pine nuts, and parsley.

Tortilla Soup

I think this may be the best soup I have ever had. So delicious, filling, healthy (ish), and relatively easy to make. Many traditional tortilla soups are broth based. For this dish, I broke out the ol' immersion blender again which made for a rich soup with a delectable texture. I fried up the tortilla strips myself (thank you FryDaddy!), but you could certainly substitute store bought. This version is not too spicy. You could easily kick it up a notch with more peppers. This amount was good for 3 people to have a hearty bowl.

Ingredients:
2 Red bell peppers, diced
1 Green bell pepper, diced
1 Red onion, diced
2 Carrots, diced
3 Stalks celery, diced
~ 4 Cloves garlic, finely diced
1 jalapeno de-veined and de-seeded
1-2 T. Tomato paste
1/2 t. Dried oregano
1/4 t. Cayenne pepper
1 t. Cumin
2 Chicken breasts, poached in chicken broth and shredded
1 q. Chicken broth
2 limes
S + P to taste

Garnish:
Tortilla strips
Cilantro-lime sour cream
Diced avocado
Lime wedges
Queso fresco

1. Poach the chicken breast in a bit of chicken broth. Once cooked, allow to cool so that you can shred it comfortably.
2. Dice the veggies. My preferred onion dicing technique:

3. Over med-low heat, soften all of the veggies, garlic and jalapeno with a bit of olive oil and salt:

4. Once the veggies have softened, add the chicken stock, tomato paste and spices: oregano, cayenne pepper, and cumin.
5. Get your tortilla strips frying. Once to a golden brown, remove from oil to drain on a paper towel. Season with salt immediately.

6. Use your handy dandy immersion blender to blend into a smooth consistency:

7. Add your shredded chicken.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the juice of 1/2 lime.
9. For your Cilantro-lime sour cream, It is the juice of 1/2 lime, ~ 1 T. cilantro, finely minced, and a dollop of sour cream. It should be the consistency of buttermilk.
10. My preferred diced avocado technique... score it and scoop it out with a spoon:

11. Serve up the soup with a generous portion of the garnishes. Yum!!

Smoked Salmon Nicoise w/ Olive Vinaigrette

When my friends visited last week, they brought a selection of Sea Bear wild smoked salmon from Anacortes, Washington. I thought it would be very nice in a Nicoise salad. The Olive Vinaigrette is so fabulous. This recipe is very versatile... you can add or take away any of the vegetables.
This dish has a lot of health value. The salmon is a very good source of Protein, Vitamin B12, Selenium, and Omega-3 fatty acids. The egg is a very good source of Protein and Selenium. The celery is a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium and Manganese. The tomato is a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese. The bell peppers are a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese.



Ingredients for salad:
Chopped greens (I used a spring mix and romaine hearts)
Celery
Tomatoes
Red and green bell peppers
Small red potatoes
Eggs
Capers
Smoked Salmon (I used sockeye)
Lemon

Olive Vinaigrette:
Parsley
Thyme
Onion or shallot
Dijon
Red wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Olives (I used Kalamanta and Mission)
S + P to taste

1. Cook the eggs to you liking. I like medium boiled.
2. Boil the potatoes until they are almost done. If they are overcooked, they won't brown up in one piece.
3. Allow the eggs and potatoes to cool.
4. Chop the greens. Chop and arrange the veggies on the plate. You can cut up the veggies in anyway you like.
5. Cut the potatoes into quarters and pan frying a med hot pan.
6. Once the potatoes have browned, drain them on a paper towel and sprinkle with parsley, thyme, s + p.
7. For the vinaigrette: mince herbs, onion, and olives. Add Dijon, red wine vinegar, and s + p. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking to make an emulsion.
8. Peel and halve the egg.
9. To the salad plate, now add the potatoes, salmon, and eggs.
10. Top with capers, dressing, and fresh ground pepper.

Roasted Fennel Chicken

I got this recipe from my friend, Dina. This has become a staple for both of us. She said she got it from Epicurious, however, I could not find the recipe there when I searched.
Ingredients:
~ 6 chicken thighs
2 bulbs fennel
1 red onion
1 head garlic
1/2 c. sun dried tomatoes
1/2 kalamanta olives
1/2 grated Parmesan reggiano
Fresh fettuccine

Garnish:
flat leaf parsley
Parmesan reggiano
fresh ground pepper

1. Roast the garlic. Cut off the top, coat with light olive oil, place in a 400 degree oven for about 30 min.
2. Chop the veggies: Large chop the onion and fennel. For the fennel, I like to peel the outside and cut out the centers:

3. Saute the onion, fennel, sun dried tomatoes, and kalamanta olives.


4. Take these veggies out.
5. Brown the chicken thighs. Replace the veggies plus the roasted garlic cloves.

6. Place pan into a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Near the end of the roasting, get the fettuccine cooking.
7. Take the pan out of the oven, stir in parm. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Plating: pile a small mound of fettuccine. Place roasted fennel chicken on top. Sprinkle with parsley, fresh ground pepper, and parm ribbons.

Khao Niaow Ma Muang

(Thai Mango Sticky Rice Dessert)
My humble attempt at Thai food, which I never make. This delicious and satisfying dessert is coconut milk and sticky rice with mango. I topped the rice off with a bit of toasted sesame seeds and drizzled with some warm honey. Not completely unhealthful, the coconut milk actually has a lot of iron. The mango is a good source of fiber and Vitamin B6, and a very good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.


Short grain rice (I have used sushi rice and risotto)
1 can of coconut milk
1/2 lemon
1 mango
Toasted sesame seeds
Honey

1. Cook rice in a rice cooker or on the stove according to directions.
2. Immediately after it is done (or better, almost done), remove it from the heat and add about 2/3 of the can of coconut milk and a couple of tablespoons of honey (too taste... not too sweet). Allow the rice to absorb the coconut milk. Add more coconut milk if needed.
3. Toss the mango with the juice of 1/2 lemon.
4. Once the rice is cooled, top with toasted sesame seeds, cubed mango, and drizzle with honey.

Chicken Milanese

I borrowed this recipe from one I found on the Fine Living Website. I made this meal for friends who came to visit last week. I pretty much followed the recipe as it was online, so I will copy and paste it directly. The lightly broiled asparagus were a great accompaniment. I would suggest getting the onions started as soon as possible as they took about an hour to soften.

http://www.fineliving.com/fine/perfect_party/article/0,1663,FINE_17017_2811303,00.html



Chicken Milanese and Balsamic Cippollini Onions

This recipe is provided courtesy of Marc Meyer, executive chef of New York's Five Points Restaurant.

Ingredients:

4 half-boneless chicken breasts butterflied and slightly pounded
4 cups toasted bread crumbs
1/2-bunch sage, chopped
1/2-cup grated Parmesan
2 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2-stick butter
1 cup olive oil
quartered lemon

Directions:

1. Combine bread crumbs and sage.
   
2. Dredge chicken breast in Parmesan and dip in beaten egg.
   
3. Dredge chicken in bread crumbs and sage.
   
4. Melt butter and olive oil in skillet.
   
5. Sauté in medium heat until golden.

Balsamic Cippollini Onions

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Cippolini onions
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken stock

Directions:

Roast in 350 degree F oven until soft.

Welsh Rabbit

I got this idea from a recipe from a video podcast I watch called Crash Test Kitchen (http://www.crashtestkitchen.com/?p=57). This dish is certainly not at all healthy in anyway worth mentioning. But it is a delicious comfort food and worth trying. It's so good it's gross. Be careful as this dish has been known to cause nightmares! For more information on Welsh Rabbit (or Welsh Rarebit), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_rabbit


Ingredients:

2-3T. butter
2 T. flour
1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. mustard (yellow or dried)
2 c. good sharp or medium cheddar (I used Tillamook Medium White Cheddar)
2 Guinness beers (or another dark beer)
A crusty loaf of bread (We used Ciabatta and a french loaf. The ciabatta was superior)

1. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan on med-low heat until the white foam begins to disappear.
2. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Allow the roux (butter and flour mixture) to cook for a few minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Whisk in one of the beers, the Worcestershire sauce, and the mustard. Whisk until it becomes a bit thick.
4. Once the desired thickness is reached (should be slightly less thick than peanut butter), add in the grated cheese. Do not mix too long or it will become rubbery.
(if the mix if not thick enough, make some additional roux in a separate pan)
5. Spread a bit of the mixture onto toasted pieces of bread.
6. Broil just until a nice crust forms.

7. Serve with a side of the dip and a chilled glass of Guinness.

Multigrain Banana Yogurt Pancakes

Perfect baby breakfast! She loved them.
This is semi-homemade. For the pancake mix, I used a brand called Arrowhead Mills. For the yogurt I used an absolutely delicious honey flavored Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is very rich and creamy. My pancake mix calls for oil, which the yogurt was a substitute for.


1. Make the pancake batter as the box calls for.
2. Don't forget the yogurt instead of oil or in addition, if the box doesn't call for oil.
3. Pour onto a hot griddle or pan. I like to pour very small 2 inch in diameter pancakes for the babe.
4. Now add the slices of banana.
5. Flip to caramelize the bananas a bit a complete the cooking.
6. Yum!

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

With the cold weather looming large, I was really in the mood for some pipping hot soup. I thought the gentle sweetness from a roasted red bell pepper would be a great base. I added tofu (don't be scared!) which gave it some added protein and a rich, creamy consistency. This soup has a lot of healthy vegetables: the red bell pepper has a lot of Vitamin C ( great anti-oxidant) and a bit of fiber, the carrots have Vitamin A for vision and bone growth, and the garlic has (surprisingly) calcium, Vitamin C, and some protein. It is also great for your immune system and cardiovascular health. Enjoy!


3-4 large red bell peppers
2 sweet onions
1 head + 2 cloves (or more) garlic
3 carrots
4 stalks of celery
1 container of drained tofu (I used firm)
2 cartons of chicken broth
a handful of Parmigiana Reggiano (parm)
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Garnishes:
Parmigiana Reggiano
croutons
flat leaf parsley
fresh ground pepper

1. Coat the bell peppers, a quartered onion, and a head of garlic (chop off the top) in light olive oil.
2. Place into a 500 degree oven until the onion and garlic are caramelized. Turn the bell peppers.
3. Leave the peppers in the oven until they have a nice partially blackened skin. Remove them from the oven and cover with foil so they will steam.
4. Roughly chop the other onion, celery, carrots, and garlic cloves (my version of mirepoix).
5. In a soup pot or dutch oven, saute the mirepoix with a bit of light olive oil and salt until they are soft.
6. Once the bell peppers steam for about 15 minutes, cut off the stem and remove the seeds. You may also want to remove the skin, which should come off easily.
7. Now add the ingredients to the pot with the mirepoix: red bell peppers, roasted onion, roasted garlic (squeeze out the goo), a handful of grated parm, up to 2 containers of chicken broth, cayenne pepper, a container of tofu. Add fresh ground pepper and salt to taste.
8. Use your immersion blender to make into a smooth consistency. A blender would probably also work, but be careful not to burn yourself!
9. Garnish and serve.

Welcome

Welcome to my food blog, Bon Vivant Cuisine. I'd like to use this blog to share recipes and cooking adventures with anyone who is interested in making and eating good food. I'd love to read any comments or suggestions you may have. Please enjoy!