Cajun Tuna w/ Lime Basil Aoili

This is a great variation on tuna. I served this dish with a garden salad and roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

Ingredients
1 tuna steak about 1 1/4 in. thick 1 1/2-2 lb.
Cajun spice
1 lime
Fresh basil
2 small cloves of garlic for aoili and 1 head for mashed potatoes
Olive oil
6 new red potatoes
Cream
Butter
S+P

For aoili you can go about this two different ways and either will work fine. You can make your own mayonnaise by taking one egg yolk in a blender and slowly add olive oil, finely chopped cloves of garlic, 2-3 bunches of basil, the juice of half a lime, and S+P. Add oil until you get your desired consistency. If your not confident in your mayonnaise making skills skip the eggs and oil and use mayonnaise, very similar other than the fact that you've made your own mayonnaise.
Coat tuna in cajun spice, heat olive oil in skillet. Sear on both sides for 2-3 minutes. Place in 350 degree oven for 2-3 minutes, this will give you a mid rare steak; leave in oven longer for more doneness. Allow to let stand for 5 minutes to complete cooking.
For roasted garlic mashed potatoes you can easily wrap a whole head of garlic in tin foil and roast it in the oven but I find it a lot less messy to peel individual cloves of garlic, 10-12, and loosely wrap them in foil. Place in 400 degree oven for 50 minutes. Boil potatoes for 20 minutes mix with hot cream, cold butter, roasted garlic and S+P.

My best chili

This is my best chili to date, very simple, just the right amount of heat.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
2-3 lb. pot roast cut into stew size chunks
1 yellow onion diced
1 red pepper diced
4 lg. cloves of garlic chopped
2 jalapeno peppers chopped
1 habanero pepper chopped
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 lg. can diced tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes
10 white mushrooms quartered
Small can tomato paste
2 cans black beans rinsed
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream

In large skillet on med. high, heat olive oil, brown meat, add garlic, onions, peppers, chilies, mushrooms, chili powder, and S+P. Cook on med. heat for 10-15 mins.
Add tomato paste, cook 5 mins. more.
Add diced, and stewed tomatoes, black beans, and let simmer on low for 2 hours.
Top with cheese and sour cream.

Chicken w/Mango BBQ Sauce

Ingredients.
4chicken breast boneless, skinless
olive oil
1 mango diced
1 yellow onion diced
1 red pepper diced
3 -4 cloves garlic chopped
1t salt
pepper
1/2t allspice
1/3c red wine vinegar
3T molasses
2T worcestershire sauce
2T lime juice
1/4c tomatoe juice
2-3 jalapenos minced
Heat oil over med-high add onions cook 3 min..add peppers,garlic,allspice and s+p cook 3 min.more.Stir in vinegar,molasses,worcestershire sauce,lime juice and tomatoe juice.Cook 2 min. more.
Place mixture in blender add mango and jalapeno blend until smooth marinade chicken in 1c of bbq sauce for 1 hour.
Roast for 20 min. or broil on high 12 min. turning once let rest 10 min. slice and spoon more sauce on.
ENJOY!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast with Grape Tomatoe Pasta

This recipe for two.

Ingrediants:
2 med. chicken breasts
Pecorino Ramano grated cheese
Flour
1 egg
1 cup shell (pasta) or your favorite short pasta
2 cloves chopped garlic
white wine
1/2 bunch chopped fresh basil
1 package grape tomatoes
1 bunch brocolli rab
Extra virgin olive oil
Half of a lemon

This is a quick and easy meal, you can possibly make the pasta dish while the chicken is in the oven just have your pasta cooked and ready to go.
Preheat oven to 350. Season flour with salt and pepper, coat chicken into flour mixture. Coat with egg, then the cheese. Heat extra virgin olive oil in saute pan on med. heat, saute until golden brown on both sides; 2-3 minutes on each side. Place in oven for 8-9 minutes.
Cut stems of brocolli rab 1 inch long on bias, leave tops whole.
In a saute pan heat extra virgin olive oil on med. heat, lightly brown garlic, add brocolli rab. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add grape tomatoes and cook for 2 additonal minutes. Add half cup of white wine reduce by 3/4. Add T butter, S+P, fresh basil and squeeze lemon to finish. Add in cooked pasta and toss with T pecorino ramano.

Add one bottle Reizling wine and ENJOY!

Rib Eye w/asparagus&white mushrooms&dark roast rub

Ingredients this recipe for 2
1 rib eye 11/4"thick
3T dark roast coffe(whole bean is best)
3T dried rosemary
1T kosher salt
1T black peppercorns
3-4 medium sized red potatoes
6-8 white mushrooms
1/2 bunch asparagus
1/2 lemon
I like using this rub for different cuts of meat.pork loin,tenderloin,chops but I think my favorite is a nice rib eye.
for rub I have an old coffe grinder I use for gtinding spices for me its a must have.Place coffe,dried rosemary,s&p in grinder grind until fine.rub both sides of steak let stand at room temp. until ready to cook
dice potatoes toss in olive oil,ground rosemary&s+p place in oven at 375 for 1 hour.
heat saute pan w/olive on med-high heat until it just starts to smoke seare both sides of steak 11/2-2minutes each side place in 350 degree oven(just turn down if potatoes are still cooking)for 6-7min. for medium rare,7-8 for medium let stand on cutting board 5 min.
while steak is in the oven steam mushrooms(quartered)&asparagus(1" pieces) until tender toss in fresh lemon s+p& 1t butter

Tuna w/broccoli rab & tomatoe toponata

I made this dinner for 2.

ingredients.

1 tuna steak 1"-11/4" thick 1-11/2lbs a hearty steak

1 bunch broccoli rab

3/4c white wine

1lg.clove garlic chopped

3/4c brown rice (if you feel ljke you need a starch I dont w/this dish)

3/4c julienned sundried tomatoes in olive oil recommended(if dried rehydrate in boiling water 5 min.drain)

1/2c quartered colossal green olives

21/2T capers

2 vine ripe tomatoes diced

2lg.cloves garlic minced

1 bunch of fresh basil

1/3cextra virgin olive oil





Combine diced tomatoes,sdt,olives,capers,garlic chopped basil(or chiffonade a little nicer)ExtraVirginOlive oil S+P to taste(its a little salty to start with so easy on salt).Mix store a room temp.

Cut stalky end of broccoli rab on bias 1/2"-3/4" leave tops whole saute over med-med high heat in EVOand chopped garlic 4-6 min add white wine reduce heat to medium let wine cook away by 3/4 add s+p remove from pan.store at room temp.

For tuna 11/4"thick&med.rare preheat oven 350(make sure your saute pan can go in the oven)Season tuna both sides S+P heat EVO until just starts to smoke seare tuna 1 1/2-2 min a side place directly in oven 3 min for mid-rare, longer for more doneness .Let rest at least 5 min.

I like to let cool.All very nice at room temp.ENJOY!