Nicoise Salad with Seared Ahi Tuna

I'm a firm believer in two things: 1) that eating healthy can be incredibly delicious 2) pulling culinary inspiration from around the world is the best way to achieve 1).  I love scouring through international recipes or better yet, cooking with friends from other countries. I had the pleasure of being raised in Hawaii by my Canadian mother and French nanny. For this reason, French cooking is particularly close to my heart and for this blog post I've chosen Salad Nicoise with Seared Ahi Tuna.

Salad Niçoise (pronounced nee-suaz) is to France what Cobb Salad is to North Americans. It offers substance and diversity that puts a common green salad to shame. Salad Niçoise hails from Nice, on the Mediterranean Sea and packs its punch with tuna, eggs, green beans, olives and potatoes. Traditionally the Niçoise are made with canned tuna. It might be the Hawaiian in me but I personally find this boring and not very delicious. If you're in a time crunch cook the green beans, potato, eggs and make the salad dressing ahead of time. You can also use canned tuna to save time and/or money. 

Vinaigrette

4 tablespoons chopped olives
2 tablespoon chopped roasted red peppers
2 clove garlic chopped finely
2 anchovy chopped 
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
Juice of one lemon 
10 tablespoons olive oil 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk ingredients together; season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

 

Nicoise Salad with Seared Ahi Tuna
  
2 ahi tuna steaks* (8 oz each) or 1 large 16oz (or 2-3 cans of tuna)
4 hard or soft poiled eggs peeled, either halved or quartered
10 small new red or white potatoes
1 box micro greens or 2 heads of lettuce
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, sliced very thin
8 ounces green beans, stem ends trimmed
1/2 cup niçoise olives

Prep all veggies and marinate tuna steaks in a little olive oil for an hour.
Bring potatoes and 4 quarts cold water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cook until potatoes are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon (do not discard boiling water). Toss warm potatoes with a little olive oil, set aside.
Bring water to boil; add 1 tablespoon salt and green beans. Cook until tender but crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain beans, set aside. 
Place eggs a medium sauce pan covered by 1 inch of water. Bring to boil then lower heat slightly and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a bowl of cold water. Remove shells, set aside.
Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Sear tuna 1.5 minutes on each side until browned. Cut tuna into 1/2-inch thick slices.
Assembly! Scatter the lettuce on place. Cluster green beans, potatoes, olives, tomatoes and tuna as desired. Cut eggs in half and put    Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately. Bon Appetit!

Tasty Quinoa Fried Rice

Chance are, if you live in North America, you've heard of and even eaten the oh-so-popular super grain Quinoa.  This "seed" originates in the Andes of South America and was touted by the Incas as "chisaya mama," or mother grain. Quinoa is gluten free, low glycemic and has the highest protein content of all conventional grains. One cup contains 15% of the recommended daily intake of iron, 21% of the daily intake of fiber, and is an excellent source of magnesium, iron and copper.  Combine this with the fact that Quinoa cooks incredibly fast (approximately 15mins in boiling water) and it's no surprise that Quinoa is moving up the ranks in popularity. 

The one complaint that people have about Quinoa is its "bland" flavor. It is often boiled and served as a substitiute for rice, potatoes or pasta. There are several ways to boost the grains flavor: 1) Cook it in chicken, beef, mushroom or vegetable broth instead of water. 2) Mix coconut oil, olive oil, butter or dressing in with freshly cooked Quinoa. 3) Saute cooked Quinoa in herbs and spices like garlic, onions, basil, cilantro, chili pepper etc.  OR for something even more tasty-- make Quinoa fried rice. This vegetarian dish* is chalked full of veggies, spices and substance. To date it is the most flavorful Quinoa dish I've had.  

Quinoa Fried Rice:

3 Cups of cooked white quinoa

4 fried eggs, for serving

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 large white onion

2 cloves of garlic, diced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 baby bok choy, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 Cup soy sauce mixed with 1/3 Cup water
2 green onions, sliced
*Optionally add 1/3 cup chopped ham or bacon

Cook Quinoa as instructed on package (1 1/2 Cup dry Quinoa should make 3 Cups cooked). In a medium sauce pan, scramble 4 eggs cooked lightly and set aside.   

In a medium skillet or Wok, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Add mushrooms, broccoli and bok choy. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add corn, peas, carrots, *ham and quinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Add ginger and soy sauce/water combination, and gently toss to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes.
 
Stir in green onions and eggs. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Poor Man's Pad Thai

Like most people, I love pad thai. Thus I have sought a means of making it at home that is quick and easy. This recipe is the simplest homemade pad thai you'll find and chances are you'll be able to make it without buying a bunch of exotic ingredients that you can't use for anything else (which I've found is a downside to cooking many Asian dishes- I mean how many uses do you have for fish sauce?).

Poor Man's Pad Thai

Ingredients:

       one package rice noodles (can substitute other kinds of noodles like fettuccine pasta)

       3 eggs

      *Optional Enhancers: carrots, onions, broccoli, purple/red cabbage, shrimp, chicken etc.

  sauce:

       2 Tbs soy sauce (or fish sauce if you have it)

       2 Tbs ketchup

       1/2 cup sugar

       1 Tbs minced garlic

       1/2 cup oil (peanut or vegetable are good)

       *Optional for spice: 1 tsp saracha (rooster sauce) or other spicy sauce or red pepper flakes

 garnish:

       peanuts

       mung bean sprouts

       cilantro

       sliced lime

 

Cook rice noodles in boiling water, drain, mix with a little oil (so they don't stick) and set aside. Scramble and fry eggs, chop into little pieces and set aside. Mix the "sauce" ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large pan (or wok), with some oil and garlic, saute whatever else you want in your pad thai. I like my pad thai with some broccoli, cabbage, onions and carrot and sometimes chicken or shrimp. Once these ingredients are well cooked add half of the rice noodles, all the egg and sauce to the pan. Mix well on medium low heat and add more rice noodles as you deem necessary (more noodles= drier pad thai. I like mine a little "saucier") Enjoy!