ahi sushi bowl

You may recall the sushi bowl concept from late last year. Earlier this week, I decided to revisit it. I was initially thinking of building a deconstructed salmon roll, but the ahi at the fish counter caught my eye, so I made a last minute seafood swap, but left the remaining ingredients as I had planned. Here's what I did:

Ahi Sushi Bowl

Serves 2

dressing:

3 Tbsp. shoyu or soy sauce

juice from 1 orange

1 tsp. rice vinegar

seared ahi:

1 tsp. peanut oil

1/3 lb. ahi tuna (searing grade)

3 Tbsp. sesame seeds (I used a mix of black and white)

the rest:

1 tsp. peanut oil

3 green onions, sliced (including greens)

1 tsp. ginger, minced

1/4 c. edamame

3 c. cooked rice

1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped into matchsticks

1/2 avocado, sliced

1/2 sheet nori, toasted to crispiness in a hot pan or under the broiler

sesame seeds

Mix the dressing ingredients. Set aside.

Heat 1 tsp. peanut oil in medium frying pan over medium heat. Add ahi. Sear lightly on each side (1-2 minutes per side, or until desired doneness - I like mine to cook about 1/2 cm. on either side, leaving most of the middle raw). Allow to cool slightly, then cut into 1/4" slices.

Heat remaining 1 tsp. peanut oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add ginger and green onions. Stir fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add edamame and rice. Cook until rice is hot. Add dressing and stir fry until well distributed. Add crumbled nori, mixing to distribute.

Serve rice in individual bowls topped with ahi, avocado, cucumber, and additional sesame seeds.

One year ago: homemade veggie stock

guacamole

Christmas is over. The Chinese food (a Christmas eve tradition), cookies, and fudge are finally out of the house. We ate the last of the other Christmasy leftovers last night. That means a clean slate for this evening's meal. And still enough people in the house to make something substantial.

For the meal itself, I'm turning to something I've made many times before - enchiladas. Actually, the appetizer is something I've made many times before as well, but it turns out that I've never posted on it - guacamole. Time to fix that. The recipe below was inspired by one I found on 101 cookbooks, which it turns out is (minus curry powder, which I omitted, and plus tomatoes, which I added) just how my mother makes it.

We ate our guacamole with chips as a prelude to veggie veggie enchiladas.

Guacamole

Makes about 2 cups

1/2 c. onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 avocados

the juice of 1/2 a lime

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

a pinch of cumin

a dash of sea salt

a dash of white pepper

Mix together ingredients, mashing avocado to desired chunkiness. Taste and adjust lime juice and seasonings to taste.

avocado tomato salad

I can't take credit for the "putting it in an avocado" part. Something I read recently spoke of using a mostly scooped out avocado in place of a salad bowl, and I found the idea to be tremendous (I would tell you where I read this, only I can't remember!). I decided I needed to try it myself.

The result was just as I had imagined... both beautiful and practical - it's great to get near the bottom of and realize you can scrape at the sides of the avocado bowl to bring additional flavor into your salad. It's like soup in a breadbowl, but with vegetables (and I guess in this case you don't actually eat the bowl, but I'm willing to overlook that difference and stick with the simile). Here's what I did:

Avocado Tomato Salad

Serves 2

1 large avocado

1 tomato, chopped

1  Tbsp. red onion, chopped finely

about 3 Tbsp. cilantro. chopped

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. olive oil

a dash of sea salt

Cut the avocado in half. Scoop the flesh out of each side, leaving about 1/4 inch of avocado in its shell. Chop the avocado flesh. Put chopped avocado, tomato, and onion into a medium bowl. Add cilantro, a dash of sea salt (if desired), lime juice and olive oil, and mix. Fill each avocado bowl with the salad. Enjoy!

veggie veggie enchiladas

I made these enchiladas last week. Seeing the picture makes me wish that I had a serving right now! (It must be time to make dinner...) They are so tasty, you won't even notice that they are vegan. That's right - an enchilada without cheese. Or sour cream. I honestly didn't miss the dairy one bit. Here's what I did:

Veggie Veggie Enchiladas

Serves 4

olive oil

1 red onion

1 red bell pepper

1 medium yellow squash

1 medium zucchini

1 Tbsp. lime juice

2 tsp. cumin

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

20 oz. of your favorite homemade or prepared enchilada sauce

10-12 small corn tortillas

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

1/2 avocado, sliced

Dice onion, squash, zucchini, and pepper into smallish pieces. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook and stir until translucent. Add the pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the squash and zucchini. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender. Add beans, lime juice, and cumin. Stir until well mixed. Turn off heat.

Spread a couple of spoonfuls of sauce in the bottom of a glass baking pan. One at a time, fill each corn tortilla with the veggie/bean mixture, wrap into an enchilada, and place into pan. When pan is full, cover with sauce. 

Cover with foil and bake in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes longer for crispy edges. Top individual portions with chopped cilantro and avocado slices.

seared tuna salad with avocado vinaigrette

Week 3 of my cleanse has me down to 50% raw fruits and vegetables (from 70% last week), which means more fish, rice, and quinoa this week! Tonight, I'm going with fish - fresh ahi from the farmers' market.

When JR first saw the salad, he didn't think it would fill him up. Turned out he wasn't even able to finish it! 

Seared Tuna Salad with Avocado Vinaigrette

Serves 2

Vinaigrette:

1/4 ripe avocado

2 Tbsp. red onion, minced

1-2 Tbsp. lime juice (to taste)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

1/4 - 1/2 pound ahi tuna, seared

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

remaining 3/4 avocado, sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped

lettuce, chopped

Whisk vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside while you chop veggies and sear tuna. Toss lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, and vinaigrette in a large bowl until dressing is well distributed. Scoop onto plates. Top with seared tuna and avocado slices. Enjoy!

spinach salad with oranges and avocado

I'm currently on week 2 of a 30-day cleanse. I had thought embarking on this cleanse that I wouldn't have anything worth posting about (or at least not anything that anyone else would want to eat!). I was wrong.

Eating 70% raw fruits and vegetables (the basic rule for the current week of the cleanse) means that I'm trying all sorts of new combinations with fresh ingredients. I tend to eat a lot of vegetables, but not such a high proportion of raw vegetables, so this week is becoming an adventure. This salad is something I'll definitely make again. The combination of flavors is great. Here's how it goes:

Spinach Salad with Oranges and Avocado

Serves 2

Dressing:

1 shallot, minced

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. champagne vinegar

sea salt & freshly ground pepper

4 cups baby spinach

2 oranges, peeled, sectioned, and cut in half

1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Make dressing by whisking dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Combine spinach, orange sections, and avocado slices in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing over top and mix well. Top with freshly ground black pepper.

As I was eating this salad, I was thinking that walnuts and blueberries would both be great additions to it. I'll try that next time. Let me know what you think!