Asian Inspired Asparagus

Yum. This is perfect paired with the Soy-Ginger Flank Steak. It's perfect by itself too. It's perfect cold. It's perfect hot. Did I mention it's perfect?

Ingredients

3 lb asparagus

1 tablespoon honey (or brown sugar)

1/8-1/3 cup sesame oil (I usually do about 1/4 cup)

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced finely

1/4 inch fresh ginger, grated

black pepper

chili pepper flakes

Directions

1. Put all marinade ingredients into a ziploc bag & shake to combine. Add asparagus and marinate for 1 hour or overnight.

2. Cook on a hot grill for 5 minutes, turning often, til just lightly browned.

Soy-Ginger Flank Steak

Living in southern California means that we pretty much bbq all year long but summertime (and the desire to leave the stove & oven OFF as much as possible!) means we bbq even more! I found this recipe in Food & Wine Magazine 6 years ago and it has been a favorite ever since! I love that I can prep it the night before, allow the marinade to soak in & then let Kurt throw it on the grill for a quick, delicious dinner.

Ingredients

One 2 lb flank steak (TJ's just started carrying all natural flank steak and it's only $1/lb more than Costco)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)

2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger (highly recommend using a microplane grater/zester)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper (I usually omit this)

Directions

1. Using a small sharp knife, score the flank steak on both sides in a shallow crosshatch pattern and transfer to a shallow baking dish.

2. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, lime juice & ginger.

3. Pour 2/3 cup of the soy marinade over the flank steak and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes (I let it marinade overnight sometimes). Reserve the remaining marinade.

4. Heat your bbq up to moderately high heat.

5. Remove the steak from the marinade & pat dry. Brush the steak with the olive oil & season with pepper if desired.

6. Grill the steak about 11 minutes for medium to medium-rare meat, turning occasionally.

7. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the meat against the grain. Drizzle with the reserved marinade and serve.

Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables

The last thing I want to do when it's hot outside is spend a bunch of time heating up my oven (& therefore my house!) to cook dinner. This salad is the perfect thing for a warm summer evening... especially if you roast the vegetables the night before when it's cool! Serve this as the main or pair it with a light protein like some white fish! The leftovers are pretty tasty too!

This recipe comes from my friend Lara who has a fun little blog you should check out called mylittleluxuries. She's the source of some of my favorite recipes too. :)

Ingredients

• 1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4 inch diced
• 1 red bell pepper, 1 inch diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 inch diced
• 1 red onion, peeled and 1 inch diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb orzo pasta or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing

• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

To assemble

• 4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
• 1/4 cup pignolis, toasted (pine nuts)
• 3/4 lb good feta, 1/2 inch diced (not crumbled)
• 15 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan.

3. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

4. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender.

5. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.

6. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

7. For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables.

8. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil.

9. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

Kobe Beef Sliders

I was having one of those days. AND, it was my day to prep dinner for that week's swap. I pulled into Trader Joe's and had no clue what I was going to do. So I said to myself, "Whatever the sample is tonight is what I'm doing for swap this week." It's no secret that we're pretty fond of TJ's samples around here but this particular night??? Yeah, it was a winner!

Ingredients (all available at Trader Joe's, obviously!)

* 1 lb Kobe beef (TJ's sells it in the freezer section) You could also use ground turkey, ground sirloin or your burger ingredient of choice

* TJ's Fresh Bruschetta Sauce

* Shaved Grana Padano Parmesan Cheese

* Organic Micro Greens

* Mini Slider Buns (I've also done this with King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls... YUM!)

* TJ's Garlic Herb butter

Instructions

1. Prepare 8 small burgers with the meat and either pan fry or grill.

2. Spread garlic herb butter on the inside of the buns or rolls and broil or toast for a few minutes to melt the butter and brown the bread a bit.

3. Assemble: Burger, some shaved parmesan, a scoop of bruschetta & some micro greens.

4. Enjoy!!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I had never made chicken noodle soup from scratch before... it always seemed somewhat daunting and involved and it's never been my favorite type of soup. But, it's been cold, and rainy, and gray and that kind of weather makes me think of soup so I thought I'd give it a try.

This recipe from Bon Appetit via Epicurious seemed easy enough (you don't have to make your own stock) so I decided it was time to make some soup! I read through a bunch of the comments and seasoned the chicken with Lawry's seasoned salt but I should have done more - I ended up adding some into the soup right before serving. Next time I might try it with rice instead of noodles but it was pretty good! Serve it with your favorite salad and some bread for a warm, hearty meal.

Irish Tacos with Fried Cabbage

No trip to Trader Joe's is complete without swinging by the sample kitchen and seeing what's on the menu for the day! (Liv reminds me if I forget!) I have gotten a number of great ideas from their samples and a few of them have become part of my regular cooking repertoire. This week's sample was something very different but also pretty tasty and with my swap day falling on St Patrick's Day this week, I thought this was a fun thing to make!

INGREDIENTS:

*1 package corned beef (I used TJ's premade, but you could certainly make your own)
*1 package corn tortillas (12)
*1 package TJ's frozen mashed potatoes (Super convenient, but of course you could make your own)
*1 package creme fraiche (7.5 oz)
*12 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

*1 bag shredded cabbage (10 oz)
*1/2 cup diced onions
*1 tbsp butter
*1 tbsp cider vinegar
*1 tbsp sugar
*2 tbsp water
*TJ's organic micro greens

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To fry the cabbage: melt butter and saute onions until tender. Dissolve sugar in vinegar, add to cabbage, then add to onions in the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add water and cover. Simmer until done.

2. For tacos: Cook corned beef according to package instructions, then shred. Toast corn tortillas on both sides in a hot pan. Cook mashed potatoes according to package instructions. Layer tortillas with potatoes, corned beef, creme fraiche, cabbage & cheese. Garnish with micro greens & enjoy a twist on the traditional St Patrick's Day dinner!

Collards with Turkey Sausage & Shrimp

From Clean Eating Magazine, March 2011

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 tsp chile powder

* 1/2 tsp paprika

* 1/4 tsp sea salt

* 1/8 tsp each ground black pepper & cayenne pepper

* 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled & deveined, tail off

* 1 tbsp olive oil, divided

* 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced

* 2 lean deli-fresh turkey sausages (7 oz), casings removed**

* 1 bunch collard greens (about 1 lb), stems removed & leaves chopped***

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix together chile powder, paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne. In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with 1 tsp spice mixture until coated.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large saute pan or wok on medium-high. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, until softened. Add shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 more minutes, until just turning pink. Transfer shallot-shrimp mixture to a bowl and return pan to heat.

3. Heat remaining 1 tsp of oil in pan. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, for about 3 minutes, until browned. Stir remaining spice mixture and collard greens into pan. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove lid, stir and cook for 2 more minutes. Add shallot-shrimp mixture back to pan, stif and cook for 1 more minute, until heated through. Serve immediately.

NOTE

** I used chicken sausage because that's all they had a Trader Joe's.

*** I used Trader Joe's Southern Greens mix (Mustard, Turnip, Collards & Spinach Leaves)

Sesame-Crusted Tilapia with Gingered Green Beans

From Clean Eating Magazine March 2011

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
* 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
* 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger, divided
* 4 tsp olive oil, divided
* 1 tsp sesame oil, divided
* 4 6-oz tilapia fillets, skin & bones removed
* 2 tbsp sesame seeds
* 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
* 3 cups trimmed green beans (12 oz)
* 1/2 tsp each sea salt and ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F

2. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp olive oil & 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Place tilapia in a shallow nonstick or foil-lined baking pan and pour lime juice mixture over top, turning fillets to coat. Sprinkle sesame seeds evenly over top of tilapia and bake for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Broil for 1 minute at the end to toast the sesame seeds!

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add remaining 4 tsp ginger and cook for one minute or until fragrant. Add broth, beans, salt and pepper, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until beans are bright green and tender-crisp. Remove from heat, add remaining 1/2 tsp sesame seed oil and toss to coat.

4. Using a thin heat-proof spatula, lift tilapia from pan and arrange on serving plates. Drizzle with pan juices and serve immediately with green beans, dividing evenly.