Place fish in a gallon bag with Persian Lime Olive Oil, Serrano Chili Pepper Infused Honey Vinegar & 1/2 cup Chardonnay, Add in fresh Basil & Rosemary & marinade overnight.
Thinly slice two large sweet potatoes, place in pre-heated skillet (325 )with Vegan butter olive oil w/ a dash of sea salt. Turn over after crisp, saute for total of 15-17 min or until toasted on both sides. Remove from skillet, place on a plate then drizzle with maple balsamic.
Grill steaks with a foil sealed packet of cedar chips turning over only one time or until fish is flaky (not opaque).
Plate up with a hefty serving of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh basil & onion marinaded in jalapeno balsamic.
3 cups of Pasta Shells boiled in salted garlic water for about 15 min, drain well and rinse with cold water (gets rid of the excess starch) pasta will be firm not over done.
Brown one pound of low fat hamburger or ground turkey with onions and garlic (as much as you like). (you would just need to add a little more olive oil with the turkey). Set to the side.
Tomato Sauce:
Add one medium can of tomato paste with 3/4 cup of water (paste has much more tomatoy flavor and the lycopene is higher too!!)
Lycopene is not an essential nutrient for humans, but is commonly found in the diet, mainly from dishes prepared from tomatoes. When absorbed from the stomach, lycopene is transported in the blood by various lipoproteins and accumulates in the liver, adrenal glands, and testes.
Because preliminary research has shown an inverse correlation between consumption of tomatoes and cancer risk, lycopene has been considered a potential agent for prevention of some types of cancers, particularly prostate cancer.[2] WIKIPEDIA SORRY I DIGRESS!!!!
Add 1/2 cup of our italian herb blend or your own: Basil, Thyme, Garlic, Onion, oregano and summer savory. NO SALT, pepper to taste. I also use smoked paprika for a slight smokey flavor about 1 teaspoon.
Add 1/4 cup of Tuscan or Garlic Olive Oil and a splash of any sweet balsamic to substitute for the sugar added to italian sauce dishes which brings out the flavors.
Simmer all together, meat and sauce for about 30 min. let cool down to handle. In a corning wear dish spread some EVOO on the dish, layer in your pasta, then sauce, then your cheeses. I used parmesan reggiano, smoked mozzarella, asiago and ricotta. Layer all one more time with cheese on top.
Place in oven on 375 for about 15 min for cheese to melt and toast up a bit. LIKE MOST ITALIAN DISHES, THE HERBS AND FLAVORS ARE MUCH BETTER THE NEXT DAY.
PREP TIME 20 min. Total time 45 min. unless you simmer your sauce for 2-4 hrs.
O.K. well, now that pre-season FOOTBALL is up and running, we can all do really quick snicky snack type dinners. Here is one of my favorites and I will post pics at the stages to make it simple:
Take 6-8 polish smoked or italian sausages…
Brown them on your grill outside or your George Foreman Grill in the house. With all this rain, I chose the later. Grill until toasted really well.
Place each on a tortilla wrap with drizzled Tuscan, Garlic or Butter Olive Oil on top of some parmesan regg. pesto (of course I used Kay’s again!!) or salsa. Add some Fresh grated Aged Sharp Cheddar or blue of your choice, maybe a little spicy mustard. Roll the wrap up, tucking in the sides as you go (about 2-3 times).
Place on grill with another drizzling of the olive oil of your choice.
4 Large Chicken breasts, coated with Harissa olive oil and italian herbs (shaken in a gallon bag) and place in baking oven dish.
Thinly slice 4 large Idaho potatoes, hickory sea salt and pepper to to taste, add parmesan reggiano and gorgonzola blue cheese with Tusan Olive oil drizzled over layered slices.
Bake both in oven at 375 for about 25 min (pre-heated).
Remove Chicken breasts and drizzle with lemon white balsamic move to the side. Continue baking scalloped potatoes for about another 12 min and then just shut off your oven and let stand until golden brown.
Place asparagus in small dish (cheat and microwave for about 4-6min on high with its on juices and the garlic and butter olive oil) and then place in oven with the potatoes. 30-35 min. Dinner for 2-3.
One thawed 2-3 pound pork loin bathed in Hojiblanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil w/ a sprinkle of onion and garlic flakes, powder, etc.
Place in pre-heated oven at 375 Degrees for about 25 min.
Pull out of oven, prick the meat with a fork, drizzle Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar over loin. Place back in oven, but turn oven off. In about 15 min., It will be as tender and juicy as you could ever imagine.
Dice up some potatoes with onion, peppers and shake in a gallon bag with Garlic Olive Oil. Place both in corning ware dish for same amount of time.
I didn’t feel like cooking so I ate left over spaghetti and some braised carrots as desert with maple balsamic & Vegan Butter olive oil. Then, Kay’s Pesto was staring at me. I plated two pieces of bread for the photo of her pesto, but devoured both. Here is her recipe (Kay, you need to market this stuff. Talk with me :)): Ingredients:
1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
2 tbl. spoon of diced garlic
4 1/2cups of fresh garden basil leaves packed tight
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 cups of OGLAROLA (HIGH POLYPHENOL 473)
1 CUP grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Place pine nuts on a cookie sheet 400 deg. oven for 10 min. or until lightly toasted.
Cool nuts. Place nuts & garlic in food processor, process 30 seconds or until both smooth.
Add basil, salt & pepper. Slowly add EVOO while processor running. Blend until pureed.
Slowly add EVOO while processor running. Blend until pureed. Add cheese, store in fridge with thin layer of olive oil on top or freeze for future get togethers.
Package of Large Portabella Mushrooms from your local grocer (usually contains about 6). Wash caps and drizzle with any EVOO of your choice. Set Aside.
Mix 1 container of Back Fin Crab with Herbes de Provence Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 1/4 cup. Add our Mediterranean Herb blend, garlic, onion, celery and Old Bay seasoning. Shred some of your favorite cheese (sharp cheddar, Asiago, etc.). Cream together and scoop into Caps.
Bake for about 25 min. on 350 degrees (pre-heat your oven).
Dice up tomatoes, Cucumbers, Onion & put a dash of each Rosemary, Sea Salt, Pepper & Basil Olive Oil. Place in Fridge to get cool. Wow!! The two combinations of Hot, crisp, earthy and then cool fresh vegetables is wonderful!!
