Halibut with Carrot-Shiitake-Miso Broth & Udon Noodles

Okay, this is where I try to reverse-engineer a meal from out at a restaurant. How did I do? Pretty well! This is from wonderful meal that we had at the Aquarius restaurant in Santa Cruz last month, with jwa’s parents.

That amazingly tasty dish: California white bass with udon noodles, lychee glaze and miso-truffle broth. So, yeah, mine was similiar, but a little different. Swapped bass for halibut, guava for lychee, no truffles in broth and added veggies! I basically used the flavorings for the broth that I’ve used before making a miso soup (ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin). It worked well here.

Oh, I loved this. I want to make it again. I’d say the glaze is probably optional, and when I make it again, I might just . . . → Read More: Halibut with Carrot-Shiitake-Miso Broth & Udon Noodles

It’s Healthy! Salmon with a Couscous Crust

Okay, this was delicious. Especially the couscous. It gets a little golden and crunchy on top. Seriously tasty.

I was curious about making something that all cooks together like this. I figured it would turn out okay (I basically trust Tyler) but, as I’ve only ever made couscous on the stovetop, I was intrigued by baking it. It works. We had this with some pan-roasted asparagus.

Changes I made: I subbed broth for water, used Marcona almonds instead of pine nuts, olive oil in the dish instead of butter, and added feta to the top.

Salmon with a Couscous Crust
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence
1 cup couscous
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp coarsely chopped green olives
2 tbsp capers, chopped
3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (almonds . . . → Read More: It’s Healthy! Salmon with a Couscous Crust

(Almost Vegetarian): White Lasagne with Parmigiano Besciamella, Spinach & Ricotta

Okay, we are starting this thing where Saturday night is designated, “Vegetarian Night”. So far we’ve had this, an Indian Feast (coming soon), and this weekend, the Vegetable Upside-down Cake from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest.

But now, here’s lasagna. Originally, it was just sauce, noodles, and Parmesan. This sounds great but why not add a little more? Exactly! I did two layers of low fat ricotta with some defrosted, drained frozen spinach mixed in. Also, I added Mozzarella to the top because, c’mon, it’s lasagna!

Oh, and there’s also chicken broth here. Obviously that makes this not vegetarian but, if you use vegetable broth it is. So there.

Note: I used 1% milk here and the sauce was very creamy and rich. I guess that’s what happens when you . . . → Read More: (Almost Vegetarian): White Lasagne with Parmigiano Besciamella, Spinach & Ricotta

WCC 34: Gingerbread Waffles!

Foodie Chickie is hosting Weekend Cookbook Challenge this month and she chose Diner Food as the theme. Okay, so when I think of diner food, I think of breakfast!

Well, actually, I think of breakfast first, but then honestly, I then think of things like meatloaf and burgers and fries and then I get hungry and I need to get up and find a snack. But anyway, let’s just stick with breakfast, shall we? These are the first waffles of the Fall 2008 season. These are Gingerbread Waffles from the cookbook Prairie Home Cooking, by Judith Fertig. These are pretty damn good.

I skipped the pear sauce in the cookbook and opted instead to have maple syrup, with chopped fresh pear for the top of the waffles. I also had . . . → Read More: WCC 34: Gingerbread Waffles!