Griddled Cuttlefish....

Heaven is This.

Almond Crusted Coalfish with Ajvar Quinoa and Pickled Okra

When life hands you Ajvar,  inspiration follows.

Ajvar is a Turkish/Serbian spread made with roasted paprika peppers, garlic, and eggplant.  It's like Turkish caviar.  It can be eaten as a spread for a sandwich or wrap, mixed with yogurt for a madd veggie dip, spread on toast for canapé's, on eggs, as a salsa... well, pretty much anything because once you dip your spoon in to taste it.. your brain starts twirling and singing and you float along the Bosphore..

So here, I had some coalfish (lieu noir) filets and I was about to use my Ajvar as a marinade, but decided to make orange quinoa instead.

Coalfish filets in a coconut almond crust with Ajvar laced quinoa and a pickled okra, beet, and feta salad.. just another weeknight dinner..

OooOooh Coqinaee

Seabass on the BBQ

 Sometimes you just need to BBQ between the rain drops...

Stuffed with sliced shallots, grated garlic, chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime and a nice dash of sexy black pepper and olive oil.

Grilled for about 10 minutes on the BBQ, until skin was golden and flesh was flakey..

A dream come true..

Roasted Beet Pesto

Let me name all the things I love about beets...
I love the way they feel raw
I love the way they taste cooked
I love the way they penetrate others with their color
I love the way stain my fingers for days
I love the way make me feel closer to Earth
I love the dark red color through my body
I love their natural sweetness
I love the Halwa they give me
.. this list can go on...

Beets are the Fire Element, directly linked to the heart.. it's only natural to love them.
Every time I try something "different" with beets, I fall in love all over again..

Yield 1 1/2 cups (enough for 500g or 1 lb pasta)

Ingredients

2 red beets, unpeeled, cut in halves

4 cloves garlic, peeled

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup ground almonds

1/4 cup ground cashews

1/3 cup olive oil

freshly cracked pepper

few pinches fleur de sel

Directions

1.  Rub some olive oil all over the beets and place them cut side down in a baking dish.  Bake at 275°F 180°C for 50 minutes or until tender.  Let cool.

2.  Peel the cooled roasted beets.  The skin should come off easily.
3.  Blend the beets with the garlic, vinegar, and ground nuts, adding olive oil as needed.  Blend this into a smooth paste, then add the fleur de sel and cracked pepper.
4.  Use on pasta (as I did) or as a spread as you would any pesto.
For pasta, make sure you reserve some of the cooking water to make it as saucy as you like it toss with the pesto.

I did this and added some roasted pollock to it

Eat Beauty.

Miso Mushrooms, Crispy Broccoli, and Kimchi Quinoa

Here is how I was feeling last night..

Stolen from TheKitchn

but made into my own with the mighty Egg...

I have writers block.. but I definitely don't have cooker's block.  I have 19 draft recipes.. the oldest one from November (whaaaaat?)
I need to make my own Kimchi to unlock my goddess trapped inside these hands.