Cycling Foodie

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Do you ever find yourself with a full refrigerator, but nothing to eat? Well, nothing that you want to eat is more like it. It just takes a little creativity for a foodie to turn some basic staples into a gourmet meal.

I picked up some cod filets yesterday, so I knew that would be on the menu. I had an eggplant that I really needed to use. A few TJs mini heirloom tomatoes. Some salad greens, but much to my surprise, I wasn’t really in the mood for salad. I wanted some carbs, but was getting a late start, so I didn’t want to wait for rice to cook. I wasn’t really in the mood for pasta, but I did have some whole wheat cous cous that would have worked. As I reached for the box of cous cous, I saw the polenta that I bought for pizza making. Hmm … a simple polenta would be good!

I peeled and cut the eggplant into about 3/4-inch cubes. This eggplant was perfect – almost no seeds. I salted it just a little, to draw out some moisture, and set it to drain in a colander.

Pseudo-ratatouille!

To make the polenta, I boiled 1 cup of water, then stirred in 1/4 cup of polenta. When it started to come back to a boil, I turned the heat down to low and let it cook gently until it was smooth. This was good, but it needed something. I added about 1 tablespoon pesto, about 6 halved cherry tomatoes, and just a bit of cheese. I gave this a quick stir and let it sit on low heat while I prepared the rest of the dinner.

Then, I heated some olive oil in a non-stick skillet. I rinsed the eggplant a bit, dried it lightly on some towels, and cooked it. When it was just starting to soften and brown a little, I added about 12 of the mini heirloom tomatoes, cut in half. I gave this a quick stir, then added about 2 tablespoons of pesto and covered to let it cook through. Don’t overcook this, though. You want the eggplant soft, but not mushy.

Voila! Dinner is served.

To cook the cod, I heated some olive oil in a cast iron skillet, seasoned the cod filet with a few grinds of sea salt and black pepper. I like to start the fish on high heat, sear one side, then turn it, turn the heat down, and finish cooking on low heat. I cooked it to 145 degrees internal temperature.

To lighten up this meal, you could eliminate the pesto and cheese, and just use fresh herbs in the polenta and eggplant. You could also steam or poach the fish.

I’ll be heading out for a ride again today, once it warms up (it’s 34 degrees in Davis right now), so I don’t feel too guilty about having a little pesto and cheese with my dinner last night.

If you need a pesto recipe, check this out:  Pesto ala Cycling Foodie

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Feels decadent, but it's actually pretty light

These are very easy to make. Start with Trader Joe’s Clay Oven Baked Whole Wheat Lavash Bread. Spread some light cream cheese (the whipped one works best) on the bread, then layer about 4-5 ounces of smoked salmon on top. Sprinkle with fresh herbs – I used chives and Italian parsley. Roll it up. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least a few hours or overnight. Just before serving, unwrap, then slice into about 3/4-inch thick slices. Enjoy with a nice glass of white wine.

I will definitely make these again, but next time I think I’ll use less salmon. In fact, I think I’ll make a mixture of light cream cheese and smoked salmon, and pulse it in a food processor to make a somewhat smooth spread. I think that will give the salmon flavor, but will lighten it up even more. That will be more cost-effective, too.

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Honey, Habanero, & Lime Scallops

Methinks that even Chef Gordon Ramsay would approve.

Perhaps I should audition for Hell’s Kitchen …

Hahaha!

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Last night was one of those, “what’s in the refrigerator?” dinners.

Thursday on my way home from work, I stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up a few staples. I saw some of the most beautiful eggplant I have seen in a while, and for only $1.29 each, I had to get it.

To pick an eggplant, I always look for one that is plump and shiny. Eggplants bruise very easily, so be polite to your fellow shoppers and grocer and do not squeeze them, but handle them very gently.

To prepare eggplant for cooking, I peel it, slice it 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick, lay the slices out on a towel, and then grind some sea salt over it, turn the slice over and salt the other side.

I just use a little salt, but if you accidentally use too much, you can rinse it later; just be sure to pat it dry if you rinse it. The purpose of the salt is to draw some water out of the eggplant. Some eggplant, especially if they’re a little more mature, can be bitter. (Kind of like some people we all know!) The salt will help to draw that out, too. Then cover the salted eggplant with another towel and let them sit a while.

How long you let the eggplant sit depends on the eggplant. This was just about the most perfect eggplant I have seen in a long time and it didn’t need to sit for long, maybe 10 minutes? You can see from this eggplant that the seed were very small and hardly noticeable. That’s what you want. When the seeds get a little bigger, and dark, that’s a sign that your eggplant needs to salt a little longer. It may take some trial and error.

I cooked these on my George Foreman grill. To grill, brush or drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and place it on a pre-heated grill. One thing to keep in mind is that the eggplant will absorb a lot of oil, so be careful how much you use! It might look like there’s not enough, but you really don’t need much. I used medium heat. If you’re using a GFgrill, then put the top down. After about 1-2 minutes, I rotated the slices to get that pretty criss-cross grill mark. Put the top back down and cook until desired doneness. These cook quickly, so keep an eye on them.

These keep in the refrigerator for a day or so, so don’t worry if there are leftovers. It’s good cold in salads, can be used on pizza, as a quick and light eggplant parmigiana (just pour a little marinara over top, a little cheese, and heat it through – tastes so much better and is far healthier than deep fried!), or just reheated.

I made dinner, so it pretty much goes without saying that there will be salad. This was a very simple salad – artisan greens, heirloom cherry tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, fresh thyme, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a couple of grinds of sea salt. I buy these greens at Costco:  http://www.artisanlettuce.com/. They’re a whole head, a pack of 6, and it’s a great deal. I have always been happy with the quality and they keep for the whole week.

Shrimp Cocktail

I also had some shrimp, so I made a quick shrimp cocktail. I just steamed the shrimp. Normally I would roast or grill them, but tonight it needed to be quick. Just thaw them (at least most of the way) and toss them in a steamer, and steam a few minutes. You really have to just go by color on these. For the cocktail sauce, I used a prepared cocktail sauce (Trader Joe’s seafood cocktail sauce) and added some extra horseradish. I’ll often add a little lemon, too.

There were also a few veggies left from last week’s Farmers’ Market – asparagus, brussel sprouts, and spinach. I steamed them lightly, just to warm them up.

Mmm ... steamed veggies!