seared tuna & avocado romaine salad

consider this your little tropical culinary oasis. seared yellowfin tuna. fresh avocado. vibrant greens. and a hint of lemon. <queue hula dance music now>

infusing a little tropical flavour into your cooking is a lot easier than you might think…

prep veggies:
– 1 bunch of organic romaine hearts (separated into individual leaves)
– 1/2 cup english cucumber (diced)
– 1 haas avocado (peeled, pitted, sliced)
– 3-4 unsalted cashews (crumbled)
– 1/2 lemon

the yellowfin:
– heat up 2 tsp of extra-virgin olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat
– brown 1 large shallot (peeled, rough chop) or 2 sprigs of green onions (rooted stems removed, rough chop into sliced rounds)
– add 1/2 tsp fennel seed and brown w/ shallots/onions until fennel is toasted
– add 1 fillet of fresh yellowfin tuna to pan
– season fillet w/ ground black peppercorns
– sear tuna fillet to your preference
– remove from heat & allow to cool. cut seared tuna fillet into long slices.

food styling:
– plate a bed of organic romaine leaves
– add cucumber & avocado pieces
– fan out seared tuna slices on greens
– squeeze fresh lemon juice over tuna & avocado (instead of salad dressing)
– garnish w/ crumbled cashews
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– pairs nicely w/ your fave cold sake or elderflower water

smoked salmon & zucchini canape

hosting a dinner party can be stress-free. true story.

as they say, sometimes keeping it simple can go a long way. this delicious canape recipe is a crowd-pleaser — and better yet, it calls for just a few ingredients and only takes minutes to pull together. beauty.

the cheese:
– if sheep cheese isn’t your cup of tea, a light cream cheese or chevre works just as well.

the smoked salmon:
– you can easily find wild sockeye smoked salmon in the frozen seafood section at the grocery store… the smoked salmon just needs to thaw and it’s ready-to-eat!

the zucchini:
– 1/3 zucchini squash (sliced into half-moons)

food styling:
– spread a layer of sheep cheese on light rye crackers
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– add a layer of zucchini half-moons on the cheese
– top w/ wild sockeye smoked salmon (thinly sliced)
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– pairs nicely w/ your fave sauvignon blanc

smoked salmon & squash chard salad

autumn is here! as much as i love summer, autumn is my favorite time of year. the pretty coloured leaves. the warm, fuzzy sweaters. the fall harvest. the fantastic autumn squash. and all those cozy autumn recipes.

here’s a simple recipe with organic zucchini squash and swiss chard from local organic producer hotchkiss. this warm salad makes a nice, light lunch or an easy weeknight dinner.

the squash:
– heat up 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil in a large wok
– 1/2 organic green zucchini squash (sliced rounds)
– 1/2 yellow zucchini squash (sliced rounds)
– season w/ 1 tsp herbs (i used dean & deluca’s herbs for fish – a blend of fennel, sage, rosemary, cracked bay leaves, parsley, thyme & marjoram)
– sauté for 2-3min until squash is slightly tender

the chard:
– heat up 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil in the same wok that you used for the squash
– wash & drain 1 bunch of organic swiss chard in colander w/ cold water
– remove stems from chard
– add chard to pan
– season w/ 1/2 tsp herb blend of fennel, sage, rosemary, cracked bay leaves, parsley, thyme & marjoram
– sauté for 2-3min until leaves are wilted and a darker shade of green