OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

Content/Sidebar/Sidebar

One Pan Halibut with Lemon Chive Pistou

by Leave a Comment

This One Pan Halibut with Lemon Chive Pistou is pan seared along with garlic, butter, white wine and on-the-vine-tomatoes for a quick dinner that feels restaurant fancy.

Ready in just 6 minutes AND only uses one pan means this is the perfect weeknight dinner. Fresh, local halibut doesn’t take long to cook to perfection. It’s moist, buttery and drizzled with flavor from the lemon chive pistou.

Lemon Chive Pistou tops the One Pan Halibut

What is a lemon chive pistou? It’s really just a fancy way of saying herbed oil and with so few ingredients, you want to use the best oil you have on hand. My newest find is a smoked olive oil from Castillo de Canena, which pairs lovely with herbs or citrus, like my Smoked Citrus Salad. If your local to the Pacific Northwest, you can find it at Taylor Shellfish Farms in Bow, WA or scroll down to find it on Amazon.

Ingredients

  • Halibut – Fresh halibut, about 1 inch thick.
  • On-the-vine-tomatoes – Campari tomatoes are perfect, a little larger than cherry tomatoes.
  • Garlic – For this recipe, I used pre-minced garlic to save time.
  • White Wine – I keep an inexpensive bottle of Pinot Grigio on hand for cooking.
  • Chives – Fresh chives from the garden or the produce aisle at the grocery.
  • Lemon – One half of a lemon, juiced and zested.
  • Pantry Items – Olive oil, butter, salt and pepper.
Buttery One Pan Halibut topped with Lemon Chive Pistou

Easy to Follow One Pan Halibut Video

Make this One Pan Halibut with Lemon Chive Pistou in just 6 minutes. Watch the video and see how easy this weeknight meal is to make.

More Halibut Recipes

Shop These Products on Amazon

OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Help support my passion by shopping these links:

Pan seared halibut ready in 6 minutes

One Pan Halibut with Lemon Chive Pistou

Pan seared halibut feels special when topped with lemon chive pistou and served along side tomatoes on the vine
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 6 mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine Seafood
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 2 halibut fillets about 1 inch thick
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 bunch Campari tomatoes on the vine
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 tbsp. butter

Lemon Chive Pistou

  • 1 tbsp. fresh chives minced
  • 3 tbsp. smoked olive oil can sub regular olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 generous pinch salt
  • 1/2 lemon juiced and zested

Instructions
 

  • Make the Lemon Chive Pistou by combing chives, olive oil, garlic, salt, lemon juice and zest. Set aside until ready to serve.
  • Heat a large heavy bottom pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil and swirl. Pat halibut fillets dry with a paper towel, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Place fillets in middle on pan with space between them.
  • Sear halibut fillets until they turn opaque half way up the thickness of the fillet. This should take about 3 minutes on a 1 inch thick fillet. Flip over. Add tomatoes, still on the vine, wine, garlic and then butter. Cook for another 3 minutes or until completely opaque.
  • Remove from pan and plate with tomatoes on the vine. Spoon Lemon Chive Pistou over the top.
Keyword Dinner for Two, Pan Seared Halibut

Out West’s Grilled Patty Melt

by Leave a Comment

Is it lunch time yet? Out West’s Grilled Patty Melt is smothered in caramelized onions and mushrooms, then topped with Tillamook sharp white cheddar cheese and served between two Seattle sourdough sandwich rounds.

Beef grilled patty melt

What makes Out West’s Grilled Patty Melt a patty melt and not a burger?

Well, I’m glad you asked. This grilled patty melt skip the bun and use use a good quality bread. Usually rye, but I’m loving Seattle Sourdough Baking Company’s Sourdough Sandwich Rounds. They crisp up really nicely and are the perfect shape for a patty. This ground beef patty gets seasoned a little more than your burger. Onion and garlic powder add a depth of flavor that goes perfectly with grilled onions and mushrooms. And you definitely need a good melting cheese. I can’t think of a better choice than our local Tillamook Sharp White Cheddar to really highlight the onion and mushrooms. It’s got the perfect melt to give you a nice melty drip down the side of the patty and that sharp cheddar tanginess to brighten everything up. A N D finally, that special sauce, which most of us know by now is a blend of mayonnaise, ketchup and sweet relish.

Out West’s Grilled Patty Melt

Ingredients

  • Ground Beef – Opt for more fat when looking for ground beef, such as 80/20.
  • Sourdough Rounds – Seattle Sourdough Baking Company makes perfect sourdough rounds and they are sold at most major grocery stores.
  • Sharp White Cheddar Cheese – Tillamook is local to our area and makes the perfect tangy sharp white cheddar.
  • Onion – Sweet yellow onion, such as Walla Walla or Vidalia.
  • Mushrooms – Choose from cremini, baby bella or button mushrooms for the classic taste.
  • Micro Greens – Farm fresh micro greens replace lettuce for a subtle fresh vibe.
  • Pantry Staples – Worcestershire, mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet relish, onion powder, garlic powder, butter, salt, pepper and cooking oil.
Print

Out West’s Grilled Patty Melt

This seasoned beef patty gets grilled, smothered in caramelized onions and mushrooms, then topped with melty sharp white cheddar cheese and served between two sourdough sandwich rounds
Course Main Course
Cuisine Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza
Keyword Diner Classic, Grilled Sandwich, Patty melt
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Grilled Patty

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 12 drops Worcestershire sauce (about 3 drops per patty)
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil

Other Items

  • 4 sourdough sandwich rounds toasted in toaster
  • 1/2 cup micro greens (found in produce usually next to sprouts)
  • 8 large Tillamook sharp white cheddar cheese slices

Special Sauce

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp sweet relish

Onions and Mushrooms

  • 1 medium sweet yellow onion thinly sliced in rounds
  • 2 cups mushrooms (button, baby bella, cremini) sliced
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Grilled Patty

  • Fire up the grill. I prefer charcoal. If using charcoal, make sure to wait until coals are completely grey.
  • Form ground beef into 4 round patties. Using thumb, press in the middle to make an indentation so edges are a little bigger. This helps in cooking evenly.
  • In a small bowl, mix together onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Season each side of each patty. Drizzle each side of each patty with vegetable oil.
  • Grill patties making sure to get a nice browned crust on each side. After you have flipped to grill second side of patty, add 1/4 of the onion/mushroom mixture on each patty and top with 2 slices of sharp white cheddar cheese. Cover and cook until cheese is melted.
  • Serve on toasted sourdough sandwich rounds that have been smeared with special sauce and top with 1/4 of the micro greens.

Special Sauce

  • Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

Onions and Mushrooms

  • heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil and half of the butter. Add onion rings and cook, stirring frequently until softened. Add mushrooms and stir together. Add remaining butter. Cook for about 5 minutes or until nice and caramelized.

Shop These Products on Amazon

OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Help support my passion by shopping these links:

Try These Delicious Burgers

No Bake Banana Dream Dessert

by Leave a Comment

This No Bake Banana Dream Dessert combines layers of lady fingers, bananas, vanilla pudding, whipped cream and is topped with toasted meringue.

I call this No Bake Banana Dream Dessert because one spoonful is like a dream. It’s light, creamy and highly addicting, which is a good thing because it has a refrigerator life span of about two days. Similar to the classic banana pudding with Nilla wafers, this dessert uses Italian lady fingers, which really hold up to the creamy layers of deliciousness. If serving at a gathering, you want to plan to make this dessert at least two hours ahead of time to allow all the flavors to soak into the lady fingers.

Ingredients

  • Lady Fingers – Savoiardi Italian Lady Fingers are my favorite – Look for the Amazon link below.
  • Bananas – Look for firm bananas, don’t use old bananas.
  • Eggs – Farm fresh eggs give the best color when making the pudding.
  • Milk – Whole milk.
  • Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract.
  • Sugar – Granulated sugar.
  • Cornstarch – For thickening the pudding.
  • Butter – I use salted butter, even though we are adding salt to the pudding.
  • Salt – Just plain old table salt.
  • Cream of Tartar – This gives the meringue it’s fluffiness.
This No Bake Banana Dream Dessert combines layers of lady fingers, bananas, vanilla pudding, whipped cream and it's topped with toasted meringue.

No Bake Banana Dream Dessert

This No Bake Banana Dream Dessert combines layers of lady fingers, bananas, vanilla pudding, whipped cream and it's topped with toasted meringue.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert

Equipment

  • Butane torch

Ingredients
  

  • 48 lady finger cookies About 2 packages Savoiardi Italian
  • 3-4 bananas cut in 1/2 inch round slices

Pudding Layer

  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 8 large egg yolks whites reserved for meringue
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Whipped Cream Layer

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Meringue Layer

  • 4 egg whites Half of reserved egg whites
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions
 

Pudding Layer

  • Heat milk in a small pot over medium heat until warmed.
  • Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a bowl.
  • Slowly mix about a cup of the warm milk into the eggs mixture to temper. Then, pour egg mixture into remaining milk and stir constantly while cooking over medium heat until thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
  • Once thickened, remove from heat and add vanilla and butter.

Whipped Cream

  • Add cream, sugar and vanilla to a refrigerated 'cold' bowl.
  • Using a mixer, beat on high speed for about a minute until thick and creamy. Do not over beat.

Meringue Layer

  • Place egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar in a bowl. Using a mixer, beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Assembly

  • Place a single layer of lady fingers over the bottom of a square dish.
  • Spread half of the pudding evenly over the lady fingers.
  • Add a single layer of sliced bananas over the pudding layer.
  • Spread all of the whipped cream over bananas.
  • Add a single layer of lady fingers over the whipped cream.
  • Spread the remaining pudding over the lady fingers.
  • Top with meringue, using the spatula to form peaks.
  • If desired, use the butane torch to brown the top of the meringue. Store in the refrigerator up to two days.
Keyword Banana Cream Pie, Banana Dessert, Banana Layer Dessert, Banana Pudding

More Desserts You’ll Love

Shop These Products On Amazon

OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Help support my passion by shopping these links:

Easter Dinner for Two

by Leave a Comment

Make this intimate, citrus inspired Easter Dinner for Two with a menu of Kicked Up Tequila Orange Ham, Smoked Citrus Salad & Fennel Gratin, all in small portioned sizes.

When it’s just the two of you, create this easy-to-follow Easter Dinner for Two in just over an hour.  Transform a small smoked, pre-cooked ham with a sweet, citrusy glaze with a little kick from smoked paprika and chipotle. The benefit of cooking small is that it takes only 30 minutes to glaze and re-heat the smoked ham.  Look for a two pound ham like the one pictured from Safeway.

What pairs perfect with our Kicked-Up Tequila Orange Ham? Smoked Citrus Salad featuring Castillo de Canena Smoked Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain. Just scroll down to find out where you can find this on Amazon. If you’re local, head on up to Taylor Shellfish in Bow, WA…that’s where I found mine!

Smoked Citrus Salad features a variety of fresh citrus and butter lettuce drizzled ever so lightly with a lime, agave and smoked olive oil dressing. The smoked olive oil really accentuates the bright citrus and pairs well with ham.

Ingredients

  • Smoked Ham – Small, pre-cooked two pound smoked ham – You’ll even have leftovers.
  • Apricot Preserves – Thicker than jam, this is the base to our glaze.
  • Chopped Garlic – I like to keep a jar of chopped garlic on hand, it’s softer and more muted in flavor.
  • Orange Juice – Fresh squeezed or Simply Orange, just not from concentrate.
  • Tequila – Whatever you may have on hand, simmering will remove most of the alcohol.
  • Smoked Paprika – Adds just a hint of smokiness and pairs well with this flavor profile.
  • Chipotle Powder – Adds a spicy kick, can substitute with cayenne.
  • Citrus – A variety of fresh citrus like oranges, grapefruit and blood orange.
  • Butter Lettuce – Tender, silky lettuce pairs well with citrus.
  • Lime Juice – About a half a lime squeezed.
  • Agave Nectar – A sweetener similar to honey, that is easily blended into liquids.
  • Smoked Olive Oil – This is a specialty item, if you can’t find it, just add the smallest drop of liquid smoke to your olive oil. A little liquid smoke goes a long way.
  • Potatoes – Yukon gold or similar potatoes work the best for this gratin.
  • Cheese – Sharp white cheddar cheese, such as Tillamook.
  • Heavy Cream – Similar to whipping cream or heavy whipping cream.
  • Fennel Bulb – Like a cross between onion and celery with dark green fronds at ends of stalks.
  • Onion – Yellow onion sliced thin.
Tequila Orange Ham and Smoked Citrus & Butter Lettuce Salad

Kicked Up Tequila Orange Ham with Smoked Citrus Salad

Citrus and tequila go hand in hand and get kicked up with the addition of smoked paprika and chipotle powder, perfect for glazing this small 'dinner for two' smoked ham.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Easter

Ingredients
  

Kicked Up Tequila Orange Ham

  • 1 2 lb. smoked ham pre-cooked
  • 1 cup apricot preserves
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic jarred
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup tequila
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle powder

Smoked Citrus Salad

  • 1 grapefruit peeled and sectioned
  • 1 orange peeled and sectioned
  • 1 blood orange peeled and sectioned
  • 1/2 head butter lettuce gently torn into large pieces
  • 1/4 cup lime juice fresh squeezed – about 1/2 a lime
  • 1 tbsp. agave nectar
  • 1 tbsp. smoked olive oil or olive oil with a drop of liquid smoke
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

Kicked Up Tequila Orange Ham

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Combine apricot preserves, chopped garlic, orange juice, tequila, smoked paprika, and chipotle powder in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Simmer for 3- 5 minutes until starting to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool. Sauce will thicken even more when cooled.
  • Brush ham with about 1/4 cup of the sauce. Place in an oven safe pan, with a little water in bottom of pan, and cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes per pound, brushing on more sauce intermittently while baking. Serve remaining sauce with sliced ham.

Smoked Citrus Salad

  • Stir together lime juice, agave, smoked olive oil, salt and pepper.
  • Combine butter lettuce and citrus segments. Drizzle with lime dressing. (Blood orange will stain the other fruit. Make sure to add this at the very end)
Keyword Citrus Glazed Ham, Easter Dinner For Two, Easter Ham For Two
Fennel imparts a mild anise flavor pairing perfectly with sharp white cheddar cheese and creamy yellow potatoes.

Fennel Gratin for Two

Fennel imparts a mild anise flavor pairing perfectly with sharp white cheddar cheese and creamy yellow potatoes baked in a small portion just for two.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Easter
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups yellow potatoes such as Yukon
  • 1 1/2 cup sharp white cheddar cheese grated
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 cup fennel bulb thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup fennel fronds dark green leafy ends to the bulb

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Combine potatoes, 1 cup cheese, cream, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
  • Sauté fennel bulb and onion in butter in a medium pan over medium high heat until just softened, about 3-5 minutes. Fold into potato mixture.
  • Place mixture into a small oven safe dish, top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and fennel fronds. Bake at 325 degrees for about 90 minutes or until browned and crispy on top. NOTE: Baking at a higher temperature with make the cheese lump and curdle. This is a low heat dish.
Keyword Easter Dinner For Two, Easter side dish

Shop These Products at Amazon

OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Help support my passion by shopping these links:

Related Recipes

Grilled Red Chile Halibut

by Leave a Comment

Grilled Red Chile Halibut uses roasted Mexican red chilies and cinnamon for a warm, earthy take on the seasonal Pacific Northwest halibut.

Every Spring I look forward to the beginning of halibut season. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have the luxury of fresh fish every season. One of the most versatile and meaty fish, halibut holds up to the depth of roasted chilies in this Grilled Red Chile Halibut. Chile peppers and cinnamon create an earthy, spicy sauce with sweet undertones that only gets better when grilled. The addition of grilled sweet corn, cilantro and fresh lime really completes the dish.

Toasted Mexican red chilies and cinnamon add a warm, earthy spice to this Grilled Red Chile Halibut

Grilled Red Chile Halibut

Toasted Mexican red chilies and cinnamon add a warm, earthy spice to this Grilled Red Chile Halibut
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 8 mins
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. Halibut fillet
  • 4 tbsp. Red Chile Sauce, see below
  • 4 ears corn on the cob
  • 1 lime cut in wedges
  • 1 handful cilantro rough chopped

Red Chile Sauce

  • 2 Chilies de Arbol
  • 2 Pasilla Chilies
  • 2 New Mexico Chilies
  • 1/2 small yellow onion quartered
  • 1/2 tsp. achiote powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
  • 1 tsp. garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp. agave nectar
  • 3 cups chicken broth warmed
  • 1 tbsp. lard

Instructions
 

  • Toast chilies and onion in a dry cast iron pan over medium high heat for about 3-5 minutes. They will start to soften and release aroma. Careful not to burn – they will taste bitter if burned.
  • Remove chilies and onion to a blender. Add achiote powder, cinnamon powder, garlic, agave nectar and warm chicken broth. Blend until very smooth.
  • Heat lard in the cast iron pan over medium high heat. Pour in Red Chile Sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
  • Coat halibut fillet in about 4 tbsp. Red Chile Sauce. Grill over charcoal, skin side down, for about 8 minutes or until fish turns opaque in the middle and starts to flake when you push on it with a fork. While you are grilling halibut, add the corn to the grill and rotate as each side gets a little charred.
  • Cut the grilled corn off the cob and toss with cilantro and fresh squeezed lime. Serve over grilled halibut.
Keyword Grilled Halibut, Mexican Halibut

Ingredients

  • Halibut – Fresh, in season halibut is best, but you can easily substitute another meaty white fish such as cod.
  • Dried Mexican Chilies – Pasilla (rich, pungent) , New Mexico (sweet, fruity) and Arbol (spicy) found in the Mexican aisle of your grocery.
  • Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon adds a warm taste that pairs well with Mexican chilies.
  • Achiote Powder – Red spice with mild, earthy flavor and sweet undertones.
  • Onion – I like using either Walla Walla Sweet or Vidalia onion.
  • Garlic – For this recipe I used chopped garlic in the jar, which gives a more muted garlic taste.
  • Agave Nectar – Sweetener that looks similar to honey, found in the baking aisle of the grocery.
  • Chicken Broth – If you can’t use homemade, I suggest Better Than Bouillon brand.
  • Lard – Save your bacon grease and use that or purchase a block lard from the grocery.
  • Corn on the Cob – Fresh corn on the cob, husked and grilled
  • Lime – Fresh lime cut into wedges and used as a garnish for corn and fish
  • Cilantro – Fresh cilantro, just tear off a handful and rough chop for garnish.

Preparation

  1. Toast dried chilies and onion in a dry cast iron pan over medium high heat until fragrant.
  2. Blend toasted chilies and onion with achiote powder, garlic, agave nectar and warm chicken broth.
  3. Heat lard in cast iron pan over medium high heat. Add red chile sauce to pan.
  4. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove and let cool before coating halibut.
  5. Coat halibut with about 4 tbsp. of the red chile sauce. Freeze or refrigerate the rest for another use.
  6. Grill halibut skin side down for about 8 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet, until opaque in center when flaked with a fork. Grill corn at same time, constantly rotating to get even grill marks. Remove when charred all around.
  7. Cut corn off the cob and toss with lime juice and cilantro. Serve over halibut.

You Will Love GRILLED HALIBUT in Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

You’ve tried the Grilled Red Chile Halibut, now try the green! Grilled Halibut in a Tomatillo Sauce

Halibut in roasted tomatillo sauce with crispy fried onions
Meaty, buttery grilled halibut in a roasted tomatillo sauce with crispy fried onions

Shop These Products On Amazon

Try these related OUT WEST favorites

Zesty Mexican Inspired Avocado Toast

by Leave a Comment

Zesty Mexican Inspired Avocado Toast combines layers of pinto beans, smashed avocado, pickled onions, Cotija cheese, cilantro and a fried egg on a bolillo roll.

If you like avocado toast, you will love this Mexican inspired version that uses a fresh Bolillo roll. This Mexican roll can be found in the bakery section of your local grocery store. They are the perfect size for building all the layers of this Zesty Mexican Inspired Avocado Toast a.k.a Avocado Molettes. Molettes are a Mexican sandwich using refried beans as the base and usually melted cheese. Our version is an open faced breakfast molettes with a sunny side up egg dripping over fresh cilantro, radish, pickled onion, smashed avocado, refried beans and a toasted Bolillo roll.

Ingredients

  • Bolillo Rolls – Mexico’s version of the baguette only shorter like a roll. it’s crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Usually found in the bakery section of your grocery store and a key ingredient in this Zesty Mexican Inspired Avocado Molettes.
  • Refried Beans – I like to make my own by simmering soaked pinto beans in chicken broth with carrot and onion, then gently smashing with a fork. You can also use canned, but the flavor will be a little different.
  • Avocado – Smashed roughly with lime, salt and pepper.
  • Quick Pickled Onions – Red onions get pickled in just 15 minutes.
  • Bacon – Thick cut bacon cooked in the oven.
  • Cilantro – Fresh sprigs of cilantro.
  • Radish – Thinly sliced radish
  • Eggs – Fried egg – farm fresh is best and has a nice yellow yolk.
  • Cotija Cheese – Mexican crumbly cheese similar to feta.

Preparation

  1. Make the Quick Pickled Onions by soaking thinly sliced red onions in white vinegar, salt and sugar.
  2. Make the Smashed Avocado by smashing avocado together with lime juice, salt and pepper.
  3. Warm the refried beans and keep warm until ready to use.
  4. Cook the bacon in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
  5. Butter and broil Bolillo roll halves.
  6. Fry eggs in butter over medium high heat until whites are firm and yolk is runny.
  7. Assemble: Spread some refried beans on Bolillo half, top with a little smashed avocado, some Quick Pickled Onions, cilantro, radish, Cotija cheese and your fried egg on top. Serve with bacon on the side.
Avocado Breakfast Molette is a Mexican inspired avocado toast with layers of pinto beans, smashed avocado, pickled onions, Cotija cheese, cilantro and a fried egg on a bolillo roll.

Zesty Mexican Inspired Avocado Toast

Zesty Mexican Inspired Avocado Toast combines layers of pinto beans, smashed avocado, pickled onions, Cotija cheese, cilantro and a fried egg on a bolillo roll.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Farm to Table, Farmer’s Market, Mexican
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 8 strips thick cut bacon
  • 2 Bolillo rolls split
  • 2-3 tbsp. butter
  • 2 cups refried beans
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 radishes sliced thinly
  • 15 sprigs fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup Cotija cheese

Quick Pickled Onions

  • 1 cup red onion sliced thinly
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar

Smashed Avocado

  • 1 large avocado
  • 1 wedge lime
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Make the Quick Pickled Onions and the Smashed Avocado (see recipe below).
  • Warm the refried bean in a small pan over medium heat.
  • Place bacon strips on a sheet pan and cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and place on either wire rack or paper towels to catch the grease.
  • Butter each half of the Bolillo rolls.
  • Turn oven to broil and broil the Bolillo rolls until just browned. Remove from oven.
  • Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
  • Add 1 tbsp. butter to the pan and let it melt.
  • Crack each egg separately in the pan and fry. Using a spatula, gently pull any egg white towards the egg yolk to create a nice round shape.
  • After about a minute, add 1 tbsp. water to the pan and cover. Cook until egg white is opaque and egg yolk is slightly soft to the touch. Remove from heat.

Quick Pickled Onions

  • Heat white vinegar, sugar and salt over medium heat until just hot. Place thin sliced red onions in a small bowl. Pout hot vinegar over red onions. let site for 15 minutes.

Smashed Avocado

  • Peel and peel the avocado. Place avocado in a bowl and roughly smash with a fork. Squeeze the juice from your lime wedge over the avocado, salt and pepper generously.

Assembly

  • Spread about 1/4 cup warmed refried beans on each toasted Bolillo half.
  • Next, spread 1/4 of the Smashed Avocado over the warmed refried beans.
  • Add a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, some pickled onions, sliced radishes and a fried egg.
  • Garnish with Cotija cheese and either crumble bacon or eat on the side.
Keyword Avocado Toast, brunch, Mexican Breakfast

Related Recipes:

Shop These Products at Amazon:

OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Help support my passion by shopping these links:

Portuguese Caldo Verde

by Leave a Comment

Portuguese green soup, Caldo Verde, delivers soul warming goodness with simple ingredients of potato, spicy sausage and kale. This broth based soup is perfect for the first crisp days of fall and the depths of winter.

Fall hit us Pacific North Westerners a little early this year. It’s the first of October and the air is CRISP. I mean like instant Fall crisp. And would you believe our stove is on back order? Yes. We have no heat currently. So, soup is a REAL GOOD THING around our place.

I feel like broth based soups are the best at warming your body right down to your bones. This one here, Caldo Verde, it’s a soul soothing kind of warm. In the 30 minutes it takes to make, and with very few ingredients, Caldo Verde packs in HUGE flavor. I like to use Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage because it really adds a lot of flavor. Traditionalist may frown upon this, so you can substitute a nice chourico sausage, if you please. Grab some Dinosaur kale from the garden or collard greens, anything substantially dark and leafy is good. A few potatoes, garlic, onion and broth. It’s really that easy and talk about a budget meal! Stay warm and spend less. My kind of meal.

Ingredients

  • Spicy Sausage – This can vary from the traditional chourico, linguica or simply spicy ground sausage.
  • Yellow Onion – I prefer a sweet yellow onion or Vidalia onion.
  • Garlic – Pick firm garlic cloves.
  • White Wine – What you have on hand. I keep a bottle of basic white wine in my fridge. Something on the lighter side.
  • Yukon Gold Potatoes – Thin skinned and medium starch make these the perfect choice for this broth based soup.
  • Chicken Broth – 1st Choice: make your own, 2nd choice: Better than Bouillon…it’s really up to you. I like my broth strong and flavorful.
  • Kale – Dinosaur kale or collard greens are hearty and hold up in this soup.

Preparation

  • Brown sausage in a large soup pot over medium heat.
  • Add onion and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add white wine and cook additional 1-2 minutes.
  • Add potatoes and chicken broth, let simmer for about 10 minutes or until fork tender.
  • Add kale, salt and pepper. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes, so the flavors develop.
  • Serve with crusty French bread and grated parmesan cheese.
Portuguese green soup, Caldo Verde, delivers soul warming goodness with simple ingredients of potato, spicy sausage and kale. This broth based soup is perfect for the first crisp days of fall.
Print

Caldo Verde

Portuguese green soup, Caldo Verde delivers soul warming goodness with simple ingredients of potato, spicy sausage and kale. This broth based soup is perfect for the first crisp days of fall.
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Soups, Stews, Chowders
Keyword Broth Based Soup, Fall Soup, Portuguese Soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 with extra

Ingredients

  • ½ lb. Jimmy Dean hot sausage
  • ¾ cup yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup white cooking wine
  • 2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes diced
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 3 cups Dinosaur kale or collards rough chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Parmesan for garnish if desired
  • Crusty french bread if desired

Instructions

  • Heat large soup pot over medium heat, add sausage, crumbling as you add to pan.
  • Cook sausage, stirring as it cooks until browned.
  • Add onion and garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add white wine and stir for about 1 minute.
  • Add potatoes and chicken broth, cook until potatoes are fork tender about 10 minutes.
  • Add kale and salt and pepper. Cook for at least 30 minutes, allowing flavors to develop.
  • Serve with crusty french bread and garnish with parmesan.

More Soups:

  • Carne en su Jugo
  • Roasting parsnips brings out their earthy sweet flavor in this winter soup. Not only is this soup easy to make, it's easy on the budget too.

Fresh Raspberry Lemonade Pound Cake

by 2 Comments

Fresh Raspberry Lemonade Pound Cake, raspberry and lemon cream between buttery lemon pound cake with lemon cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries.

Fresh, sweet raspberries are the perfect fruit to pair with bright citrusy lemon in this Fresh Raspberry Lemonade Pound Cake. Lemon is added to every step of this cake from the frosting to the filling and even the pound cake with accents of sweet raspberries.

This buttery pound cake holds up perfectly to the raspberry and lemon pastry cream, making for the perfect slice of cake. I happened to have my mother’s raspberry freezer jam to use for the filling, but store bought jam would work as well. The fresher the flavor, the better. If you have the extra time, grab another pint of raspberries and cook over medium heat with a little sugar to make a quick jam filling.

Ingredients

  • Lemon Pound Cake – A traditional sour cream pound cake with sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, flour, baking soda, salt and the addition of lemon juice and zest.
  • Lemon Pastry Cream – A simple classic pastry cream with milk, sugar, salt, cornstarch, flour, egg yolks, butter, vanilla and added lemon juice and zest.
  • Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting – Butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and, yes, more lemon juice. MUST have butter and cream cheese at room temperature or your frosting will be full of lumps (trust me on this)
  • Raspberries – Fresh raspberries for garnish and more if making the raspberry filling from scratch.
Fresh Raspberry Lemonade Pound Cake, raspberry and lemon cream between buttery lemon pound cake with lemon cream frosting fresh raspberries.

Fresh Raspberry Lemonade Pound Cake

Fresh Raspberry Lemonade Pound Cake, raspberry and lemon cream between buttery lemon pound cake with lemon cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert, Valentine’s Day
Servings 8

Equipment

  • Two – 7 inch spring form pans

Ingredients
  

Lemon Pound Cake

  • 2 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest

Lemon Pastry Cream

  • 1 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 cup butter room temperature
  • 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Raspberry Filling

  • 1/2 cup fresh raspberry jam freezer jam work the best

Other

  • 1 pint fresh raspberries

Instructions
 

Lemon Pound Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cream together sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream in a bowl into smooth.
  • Combine flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl.
  • Slowly combine the dry mixture with the cream mixture.
  • Stir in lemon juice and zest.
  • Split batter in two equal parts and pour into 7 inch non-stick spring form pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove and let cool before removing from pan.
  • Prepare the lemon pastry cream and lemon cream cheese frosting while cake is cooling.

Lemon Pastry Cream

  • Combine 1 1/4 cup whole milk, sugar and salt in a sauce pan over medium high heat until sugar is dissolved.
  • Stir together cornstarch, flour, 1/4 cup whole milk and egg yolks.
  • Add a ladle of the warm sugar mixture with the cool egg mixture to temper the eggs. Stir to combine. Then, pour that mixture in with the sugar mixture in the sauce pan. Continue to cook while stirring, until thickened.
  • Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Cream butter and cream cheese together using an electric hand mixer. Slowly add powdered sugar until creamy, then add lemon juice and finish mixing.

Assembly

  • Spread about a 1/2 cup of the lemon pastry cream over bottom layer of lemon pound cake. Spread about 1/2 cup of raspberry jam over the lemon pastry cream, then top with second lemon pound cake. Frost cake, saving any left over frosting in the refrigerator for another use. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh raspberries.
Keyword Layered Pound Cake, Pound Cake, Valentine’s Cake
Valentine's Raspberry Lemonade Pound Cake

Try These Delicious Desserts

Rich and creamy rum laced Tiramisu Pie with chocolate espresso crust.

Rich and creamy rum laced Tiramisu Pie with chocolate espresso crust.

Chocolate crust pie with chocolate Irish cream pudding and Irish whipped cream

Crushed chocolate animal crackers are the base for this Irish Cream Pie

Shop These Products at Amazon

OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Help support my passion by shopping these links:

Spirulina Pomegranate Raspberry Smoothie

by Leave a Comment

Spirulina Pomegranate Raspberry Smoothie combines three powerful anti-oxidants along with vitamins and minerals for a healthy drink.

Sweet, a little tart and packed full of everything you need to stay healthy. From anti-oxidants to protect your cells from damage, to iron for those struggling with anemia and vitamins to keep you energized.

This Spirulina Pomegranate Raspberry Smoothie is basically youth in a drinkable form. When I start my day with a healthy smoothie, I feel a noticeable increase in energy right away. I like to rotate between this Spirulina based smoothie and my Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie, each having an incredible amount of health benefits.

Using frozen fruit allows for a great texture without having to add ice, which turns slushy or frozen yogurt, which is full of not so great ingredients. If you really want a minimalist smoothie, omit the agave nectar and taste just the natural fruit sugars. It really depends on your taste and when the fruit was harvested, in the peak season or off season, which can make a huge difference in the natural sweetness.

Ingredients

  • Spirulina – A dark green algae that comes in powder form. Adding just a pinch of this nutrient packed supplement provides vitamins, minerals and protein, making it one of the best nutrients around.
  • Pomegranate – A well known anti-oxidant that also provides excellent anti-inflammatory protection, which helps prevent disease and cancer.
  • Raspberry – Not only an anti-oxidant, but contain potassium to help keep your heart healthy, fiber to lower blood sugar and Vitamin C to keep your skin looking young.

Spirulina Pomegranate Raspberry Smoothie combines three powerful anti-oxidants along with vitamins and minerals for a healthy drink.

Spirulina Pomegranate Raspberry Smoothie

Spirulina Pomegranate Raspberry Smoothie combines three powerful anti-oxidants along with vitamins and minerals for a healthy drink.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Course Breakfast, Drinks
Cuisine Breakfast, Healthy Recipes, Vegetarian
Servings 1

Equipment

  • Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1/4 cup frozen banana
  • 8 oz. pomegranate
  • 1/4 tsp spirulina
  • 1 tsp agave nectar

Instructions
 

  • Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
Keyword 2021 Food Trends, Breakfast Smoothie, Spirulina

Shop These Products on Amazon

OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Help support my passion by shopping these links:

Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie

by Leave a Comment

Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie combines anti-inflammatory curcumin compounds, sweet pineapple and tropical guava to make a delicious drinkable breakfast to start your day the healthy way.

Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie combines anti-inflammatory curcumin compounds with pineapple and guava to make a delicious drinkable breakfast to start your day the healthy way.

Both tumeric and ginger have anti-inflammatory properties, which means this Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie really packs a punch. Inflammation is the body’s response to irritation and injury and by consuming tumeric and ginger on a regular basis, you fight the effects of inflammation on your body.

Like it spicy? Studies show that adding black pepper to your tumeric intake increases the power. The peperine in black pepper allows your body to absorb the tumeric better. Just add a pinch to your smoothie!

This Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie has no added sugar. It’s all about fresh, healthy ingredients. If you like your smoothie sweeter than the natural fruit sugars, just add a teaspoon of agave nectar or honey.

Having your ingredients prepped and ready makes mornings easy. Keep fresh cut fruit in your freezer to make things easier. You can even make individual portions of pre-cut fruit, so all you have to do is drop it in the blender. Place your portioned pineapple, guava, banana, tumeric and ginger in freezable containers ahead of time and it’s ready when you need it.

Ingredients

  • Tumeric – Fresh tumeric root found in the produce section of your grocery. It looks similar to ginger and is shown in the photo in this post. You want to store your tumeric in the refrigerator. When ready to use, peel off the outside and put in the blender.
  • Ginger – Fresh ginger root, also found in the produce section of your grocery. use it just like tumeric root, only in a lessor amount.
  • Pineapple – Frozen pineapple gives this smoothie the texture it needs.
  • Guava – Frozen guava also adds to the texture. I like to use fruit that has been frozen when making smoothies.
  • Banana – Peel and freeze your bananas so they are ready when needed.
  • Orange Juice – Fresh orange juice like Simply Orange.

Preparation

  1. Place all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth.
Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie combines anti-inflammatory curcumin compounds with pineapple and guava to make a delicious drinkable breakfast to start your day the healthy way.

Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie

Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie combines anti-inflammatory curcumin compounds, sweet pineapple and tropical guava to make a delicious drinkable breakfast to start your day the healthy way.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Course Breakfast, Drinks
Cuisine Farmer’s Market, Healthy Recipes, Vegetarian
Servings 1

Equipment

  • Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup pineapple frozen
  • 1/2 cup guava frozen
  • 2 inches tumeric root skin removed
  • 1/2 inch ginger root skin removed
  • 1/4 cup banana frozen
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy.
Keyword Breakfast Smoothie, Healthy Smoothie, Tumeric Recipes
Tropical Tumeric Ginger Smoothie combines anti-inflammatory curcumin compounds, sweet pineapple and tropical guava to make a delicious drinkable breakfast to start your day the healthy way.

Shop These Products on Amazon

OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Help support my passion by shopping these links: