I kind of have an obsession with lavender salt these days. Its just upped the anti for me in my culinary game. Seriously. If you haven't tried this magic stuff, you've gotta go for it. Basically any dish you make and season with regular salt, can actually be enhanced in flavor by lavender salt. Its my little secret weapon that gives all of my dishes that extra little oomph.
Ways to cook with lavender salt: making ice-cream, seasoning potatoes, homemade chocolate, seasoning proteins (lamb especially), salad seasoning, on fresh fruit or vegetables, the options really are pretty limitless.
Well I could go on and on. If you're interested in trying your own lavender salt, you can grab some here. http://www.lavenderapple.com/culinaryproducts.php?products_d_exhibit=3
Enjoy! Let us know how it goes!
There is nothing better than a slightly warmed through piece of fresh Ahi Tuna in my book. The refreshing ocean taste, the melt in your mouth texture, nothing is better. Today we wanted to share with you a super simple cooking technique for your ahi. This hearty fish is rich in protein and low in fat, so becoming an ahi grill master will serve you well.
Heat your grill to high about 30 minutes prior to you being ready to cook your fish. This way your grill has plenty of time to heat up so your fish will sear on the outside while the inside will remain rare.
Pat your tuna dry with a paper towel.
Coat with freshly ground pepper.
Cover with a thin coat of sesame seeds.
Spray with olive oil or melted butter.
Grill on each side until the outside has a slight crust, but the middle is barley warmed through. This should only take 2 minutes or less per side.
And here is the secret to this easy meal, once done, cover the steak with Trader Joe's Ming's Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette. This is a delicious sauce that has a lovely asian ginger flair, but none of the processed or MSG ingredients that many of its counterparts include. Its great on salads, or as we are using it here, on grilled meats. We serve our ahi with fresh mango and brown rice, but feel free to add whatever accouterments are in season and available in your area.
What is your favorite way to serve Ahi? We'd love to hear from you!
Heat your grill to high about 30 minutes prior to you being ready to cook your fish. This way your grill has plenty of time to heat up so your fish will sear on the outside while the inside will remain rare.
Pat your tuna dry with a paper towel.
Coat with freshly ground pepper.
Cover with a thin coat of sesame seeds.
Spray with olive oil or melted butter.
Grill on each side until the outside has a slight crust, but the middle is barley warmed through. This should only take 2 minutes or less per side.
And here is the secret to this easy meal, once done, cover the steak with Trader Joe's Ming's Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette. This is a delicious sauce that has a lovely asian ginger flair, but none of the processed or MSG ingredients that many of its counterparts include. Its great on salads, or as we are using it here, on grilled meats. We serve our ahi with fresh mango and brown rice, but feel free to add whatever accouterments are in season and available in your area.
What is your favorite way to serve Ahi? We'd love to hear from you!
Sometimes you are in the mood for a little something sweet. And I mean little literally. In order to keep our waistlines in check, we really should watch our portions, especially when it comes to desert. I know for me personally I often crave a sweet morsel after every meal in order to feel satisfied. Well these chocolate covered frozen banana bites are the perfect solution for that. They are much smaller than a huge icecream treat. You are satisfying that sweet tooth craving with fruit, but because its dipped in healthful dark chocolate and frozen, you can almost trick yourself into feeling like you are eating an ice-cream desert. All the good, none of the bad.
An easy guilt less treat that couldn't be easier.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
12 ounce bag Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers
chopped nuts (optional)
Directions:
Chop your bananas into bite sized slices. Melt your wafers in a double boiler. Dip your bananas in the melted chocolate and place on a baking sheet. (Add chopped nuts such as peanuts, almonds, or cashews while still warm.) Freeze on baking sheet. Once the chocolate has hardened you can add them all into a zip lock back and keep in your freezer for a sweet treat whenever the craving hits.
Enjoy!
By now I think all of our wonderful blog readers are following us on Instagram. So this month, instead of doing our traditional "Insta-Friday" I thought we should try something new and fun. I thought I would highlight what some other amazing people are making with lavender! Now you can use your culinary lavender, salts, and honey for even more adventurous fun recipes.
Here are my top 3 finds for this week:
67 Calorie Honey Lavender Popsicles from Broma Bakery found HERE
Hope you enjoy this weekly inspiration from these wonderful chefs that are using lavender in unique and fun ways!
Here are my top 3 finds for this week:
67 Calorie Honey Lavender Popsicles from Broma Bakery found HERE
Honey Lavender Macarons from Hint of Vanilla found HERE
And Pop Sugar's take on Rachel Khoo's Lavender Lemon Chicken found HERE
We have some new Korean friends who are always telling us about their delicious Korean meals they are having. We decided we wanted to try an authentic Korean style dish, beef bulgogi. It did not disappoint! The meat ends up very tender with a sweet and salty kick to it.
Add your flank steak to a large zip lock bag and cover it with your marinade ingredients. Let sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Grill your steak until charred and done to medium (about 6 minutes). Let steak rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into slices. Serve in lettuce leaves filled with rice and topped with onions and sriracha sauce.
This is a lovely way to prepare flank steak, especially if you are going gluten free.
Enjoy.
Ingredients:
1 pound flank steak
10 bibb lettuce leaves for serving
1/4 cup green onion for service
2 cups white rice
Sriracha sauce for serving
Marinade Ingredients:
5 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 asian pear, grated
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Add your flank steak to a large zip lock bag and cover it with your marinade ingredients. Let sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Grill your steak until charred and done to medium (about 6 minutes). Let steak rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into slices. Serve in lettuce leaves filled with rice and topped with onions and sriracha sauce.
This is a lovely way to prepare flank steak, especially if you are going gluten free.
Enjoy.
This salad has got it all. Wonderful smokey protein, crunchy greens, crispy salty cheese rounds, and soft mustardy potatoes. They all come together for a delicious and beautiful dish. If this salad doesn't say "get in my belly" to you, then I don't know how to help you.
Directions:
Turn on your broiler.
Boil some water in a sauce pan.
Chop your potatoes into half length wise and then width wise so they form bite sized chunks.
Add your potatoes to the boiling water and simmer until fork tender (about 15 minutes).
In a bowl mix together an egg an 1/4 tsp pepper.
In a separate bowl mix together your bread crumbs and 1/2 tsp lavender herbs de provence.
Slice your goat cheese into 6 disks.
Dip your disks into the egg then breadcrumbs, then place on a greased baking sheet.
Spray the tops of your disks with olive oil cooking spray to help them crisp up, broil for 5 minutes.
In a mason jar shake together olive oil, mustard, vinegar, 1/4 tsp lavender salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
When your potatoes are done and still hot, cover them in 1/2 of the dressing mixture.
Let the potatoes cool in the fridge while you grill your shrimp.
Pat your shrimp dry and then coat with lavender salt, herbs de provence, and pepper. Spray with oil.
Grill on each side until pink and cooked through, with a nice char on them.
Add the rest of the dressing to your lettuce and mix the lettuce and potatoes together.
Serve the goat cheese rounds and shrimp on top of the bed of lettuce.
This is a great end of summer salad. The shrimp and lettuce are nice and crunchy and the addition of the potatoes makes it very hearty. The dressing is so easy and just a tangy perfection. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
20 large shrimp
1 head romain lettuce, chopped
6 large red potatoes
1 egg
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 tsp lavender herbs de provence
6 ounces goat cheese (in log form)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar
lavender salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Spray Olive Oil
Directions:
Turn on your broiler.
Boil some water in a sauce pan.
Chop your potatoes into half length wise and then width wise so they form bite sized chunks.
Add your potatoes to the boiling water and simmer until fork tender (about 15 minutes).
In a bowl mix together an egg an 1/4 tsp pepper.
In a separate bowl mix together your bread crumbs and 1/2 tsp lavender herbs de provence.
Slice your goat cheese into 6 disks.
Dip your disks into the egg then breadcrumbs, then place on a greased baking sheet.
Spray the tops of your disks with olive oil cooking spray to help them crisp up, broil for 5 minutes.
In a mason jar shake together olive oil, mustard, vinegar, 1/4 tsp lavender salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
When your potatoes are done and still hot, cover them in 1/2 of the dressing mixture.
Let the potatoes cool in the fridge while you grill your shrimp.
Pat your shrimp dry and then coat with lavender salt, herbs de provence, and pepper. Spray with oil.
Grill on each side until pink and cooked through, with a nice char on them.
Add the rest of the dressing to your lettuce and mix the lettuce and potatoes together.
Serve the goat cheese rounds and shrimp on top of the bed of lettuce.
This is a great end of summer salad. The shrimp and lettuce are nice and crunchy and the addition of the potatoes makes it very hearty. The dressing is so easy and just a tangy perfection. Enjoy!