Author Archive

Plated Halibut on Sweet Peppers

I once read never trust a “skinny chef.” Well, you can trust me by about forty extra pounds. Over the last year, I have been working on changing how this family eats.  With focused effort, I have lost 42lbs with about 44lbs to go.  When it comes to weightloss, for me , it’s all about proportion size of the food.  I grew-up with the parental dining rule that  ”there’s kids in other countries starving, so you better clean your plate.”

These days, I am a member of Weight Watchers and I go to my group meetings on Thursdays.  So I thought on Thursdays I would spotlight a meal that is very low in calories and fat, but also really delicious and simple to make. 
I hope you enjoy tonight’s meal: Roasted Halibut on a bed of Sweet Peppers with Avocado Sauce and Steamed Asparagus.

Recipes follow the pictures:

My “Junior Chef” Garrett told me this morning that raviolis should be for dinner tonight.  I told him, “Great! You can make them.” “Make them?” he asked. “Yep, we’ll make them completely from scratch.” 

Adding the filling

Ready for the wter

Ready to eat

Garrett says "num num num num"

Ingredients
The filling
1 lb fresh spinach
1 lb ricotta cheese, thoroughly drained
1 egg
4 oz parmigiano reggiano cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg

The dough
3 cups flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

Directions
Boil the spinach in lightly salted water. Place the boiled spinach in a cheese cloth and form a small sack. Squeeze the sack to expel as much water as possible. Chop the spinach finely

Place the spinach in a bowl. Combine the drained ricotta, egg, parmigiano cheese, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch of nutmeg. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and nutmeg if necessary

To prepare the pasta dough: Combine all the ingredients, mix the dough so it is very soft and moist. Use the minimum flour necessary, just enough to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands while working.
Cut the dough in two parts.
Place one of the pieces on the work surface, and flatten it with a rolling pin until it is very thin.
 Repeat the same steps with the other half of the dough, making a pasta sheet of the same size.
Set it aside, covered with a moist towel if necessary to prevent the pasta from drying too much. 

Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling on the dough, spaced 2 inches apart. 

Bring water to a boil in a stockpot. Gently drop the ravioli in the boiling water a few at a time 

Cook until the pasta is al dente (firm but not too soft or overcooked). Drain ravioli, picking them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon

Serve with your favorite sauce.   Cheers!!!

My Ortega Roast Beef Sandwich

This is my home-made version of Carl’s Jr’s, California Roast Beef Star, and I want to say thank you to the late Carl Karcher, (January 16, 1917 – January 11, 2008) for creating one of my favorite sandwiches..

Browning the meat & chile

Ready for the broiler

My Ortega Roast Beef Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 potato bun split
• 3 ounces thinly sliced deli roast beef
• 1 whole Ortega chile
• 1 slice swiss cheese
• 1 Tbl olive oil

Directions

1. add olive oil to hot pan
2. add roast beef and chile   
3. heat raost beef  and chile till the chile browned
4. toast the bun
5. pile roast beef on one half of the bun
6. place chile on roast beef
7. place slice of swiss cheese on other half of bun
8. place under broiler for 1 minute or till cheese melts

src="http://nht-2.extreme-dm.com/n3.g?login=chefmark&url=nojs&j=n&jv=n&pv=" />

New Year’s Reality Check

Another year, another chance
To start our lives anew;
This time we’ll leap old barriers
To have a real breakthrough.

We’ll take one little step
And then we’ll take one more,
Our unlimited potential
We’ll totally explore.

We’ll show off all our talents
Everyone will be inspired;
(Whew! While I’m writing this,
I’m getting very tired.)

We’ll give up all bad habits;
We’ll read and learn a lot,
All our goals will be accomplished,
Sigh…or maybe not.

Oh well, Happy New Year anyway!

This sauce is insane on fish, shrimp or anything out of the ocean.  I haven’t had it on fresh water fish, yet.  It is so simple to make and it keeps for several days in the refrigerator, but it is best fresh…. All you need is a knife, cutting board and your food processor or blender.  Cheers!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 2 avocados
• 1 clove of garlic
• small container of sour cream

Directions:

1. Everything goes into your food processor or blender
2. cut onion into chunks
3. 3/4 of cilantro save rest for topping or garnish
4. pit/scoop clean the avocados
5. rough chop the garlic
6. add sour cream
7. blend for 1 minute

Serve on fish or shrimp tacos or drizzle on broiled, grilled or baked fish.

Store in air-tight container  in the refrigerator.