Cucumber Salad

This simple side salad makes a fast, delicious addition to any asian style meal.  We love it with Korean beef bowls, Shoyu chicken, chicken lettuce wraps or fried rice.

Cucumber Salad
6-8 servings

2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1/4 c. thinly sliced red onion
Marinade:
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. canola oil
1/2 t. salt
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. ginger powder

Whisk together all the marinade ingredients.  Add the cucumbers and red onion and allow to marinate for at least an hour before serving.  Keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Classic Pasta al Pomodoro

Classic Pasta al Pomodoro
from Female Foodie
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion (or 1/2 large onion), chopped white, yellow, or sweet onion (do not use red)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 28 ounce can san marzano tomatoes (whole, peeled)
• sea salt or kosher salt to taste
• 1 pound pasta**
• 1/2-1 cup heavy cream (optional)*

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large dutch oven or skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook for 10 minutes, until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally to avoid browned onions. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Do not let garlic burn. Open canned tomatoes, and as you pour tomatoes into the dutch oven, crush each one with your hand, releasing juices and breaking up the flesh of tomatoes one by one. Add several cranks of salt to tomatoes. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring every few minutes to avoid burning of tomatoes.
• About 20 minutes before pomodoro sauce is done cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil. Just before it begins to boil, generously salt the water. If using spaghetti or other classic dried pasta, cook 1 minute less than package directions or until just barely "al dente". Remove 1 cup of starchy pasta water from pot just before pasta is finished cooking. If cooking gnocchi, pasta is cooked when the gnocchi float to the top of the boiling water. Strain from pasta water immediately as to not overcook.
• Using an immersion blender, blend the contents of the pomodoro sauce in dutch oven together until smooth. Taste sauce and add additional salt if needed. Add the reserved cup of pasta water to pomodoro sauce, and bring to a soft boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta and stir constantly for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Top with fresh basil and parm as desired.

NOTES

*You may add 1/2 to 1 cup of heavy cream to the pasta just before serving if you'd like a creamier, richer sauce instead of the pasta water. Just make sure to taste the sauce after you've added the cream to ensure it has enough salt.

*This pasta al pomodoro recipe can be made with any pasta, but we prefer to enjoy it with gnocchi or spaghetti. If you prepare gnocchi with this dish, you may need double the amount of gnocchi (2 lbs. or 2 packages) to get the correct pasta to sauce ratio. If using spaghetti, 1 lb of pasta is perfect.

Cafe Rio Style Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

Cafe Rio Style Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

• INGREDIENTS

  •  1/2 cup buttermilk
  •  1/2 cup mayonnaise
  •  1/2 cup sour cream
  •  1/4 cup salsa verde or green enchilada sauce 
  •  1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
•  1 teaspoon garlic powder
•  1 teaspoon dried parsley
•  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
•  Pinch of dried dill (about 1/8 teaspoon)
•  Pinch of salt 
•  Pinch of black pepper 
•  1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
•  1 green onion, white and green parts coarsely chopped, or small bunch of chives

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Thin with additional buttermilk, milk, or lime juice, if you want to adjust the consistency.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve (the taste gets better with time - it can be made several days in advance).

Cafe Rio Style Black Beans

Cafe Rio Style Black Beans
adapted slightly from A Bountiful Kitchen, 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2-15 oz cans black beans (drain one can, don't drain the other)
• 2 cloves garlicminced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-11.5 oz can tomato juice
• salt kosher or sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

  Instructions:

  1. In a non stick pan, cook garlic, cumin and olive oil over medium heat until fragrance is released, about one minute. Be careful not to burn garlic.
  2. Add beans, cook down for about 5 minutes until some of the liquid from the beans is absorbed and evaporated.
  3. Add can of tomato juice and seasoning to taste.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened and some of the liquid has evaporated.
  4. Stir in chopped cilantro when ready to serve.

Cafe Rio Style Cilantro Lime Rice

Cafe Rio Style Cilantro Lime Rice 
adapted slightly from A Bountiful Kitchen
8-10 servings

Ingredients:

Rice:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 small can chopped green chilies 

• 2 cups long grain white rice

• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth without MSG

• salt to taste (about 3/4 t.)
• Dressing:

• heaping 1/2 cup packed, chopped cilantro 

• 6 T. olive oil

• 1 1/2 T. cider vinegar or fresh lime juice

• 1 T. red wine vinegar

• 1 clove garlic, minced 

• 1/2 t. cumin

• 1/2-1 t. minced, seeded jalapeno chile

Instructions:

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, and green chilies. Cook until onion is soft, about 5-10 minutes over medium heat.  Mix in rice, stir about 2 minutes.  Add broth and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is tender and broth absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Turn off heat and let rice sit, covered for 5 minutes.  Transfer rice to serving platter or bowl. Let rice sit for about 5 more minutes to cool slightly.  Pour dressing over rice, tossing gently together.  Season with salt and pepper.

Buche de Noel

Buche De Noel
adapted from Allrecipes
Serves 8

Cake:
6 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/8 t salt
6 egg whites
1/4 c granulated sugar
powdered sugar for dusting

Filling:
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t vanila extract
1/4 - 1/2 t peppermint extract

Ganache:
2/3 c. whipping cream
8 oz. semi sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with cooking spray, line pan with parchment paper and spray again.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with 1/2 c sugar until thick and pale, about 5-6 minutes.  Blend in the cocoa, vanilla, and salt.  In a separate bowl, using clean beaters, whip egg whites to soft peaks.  Gradually add 1/4 c sugar and beat until whites form stiff peaks.  Immediately fold the yolk mixture into the whites.  Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched.  Allow cake to sit in pan and cool slightly for 10 minutes before turning out.  Dust a clean dishtowel (or silpat) with powdered sugar.  Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn the warm cake out onto the towel.  Remove and discard parchment paper.  Starting at the short edge of the cake, roll the cake up with the towel.  Cool for 30 minutes.

While cooling, prepare the filling by beating the heavy cream with the powdered sugar, cocoa and extracts.  Prepare ganache topping by gently warming the cream over low heat. When hot, remove from stove top and add chocolate.  Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth and shiny. Cool.

Unroll the cake and spread prepared filling to within 1 inch of the edge.  Gently roll the cake up and place seam side down onto a serving platter.  Frost with cooled ganache, making it look like bark on a log.  Decorate as desired using crushed candy canes, rosemary sprigs, whole cranberries, or powdered sugar.

Pan-Fried Flank Steak

Pan-Fried Flank Steak
from Simply Recipes

1 1/2 lb. flank steak
salt
pepper
dry mustard
2 T softened butter

See link to website for step by step instructions and photos.  I cooked to 130 degrees and deglazed the pan with a little water and about 1 T additional butter.  Delicious!