Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella salad with Basil Vinaigrette

This is pretty much a caprese salad by another name. The basil Vinaigrette that is in this recipe will become a staple in my house from now on. Very easy and very fresh. The dressing would go well on any salad or with steak, chicken and possibly fish.

Ingredients:
For the dressing:
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
3 large basil leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:
1 large ripe tomato, or 2 medium tomatoes
4-6 large basil leaves
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella cheese (regular or buffalo mozzarella)

Servings: serves 2 as a side

Instructions:
In a blender, combine the mustard, vinegar, garlic, chopped basil leaves, salt and pepper. Process until fairly smooth. Then, add the oil in a stream (through the hole in the lid of the blender), until all is well incorporated.

Cut the tomato into 1/4-inch thick slices. Wash and dry the basil leaves. Slice the mozzarella into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange the tomato, basil and cheese on a platter.

Pour as much of the dressing as you like over the top. Season with additional black pepper, to taste.

Recipe From: ThePerfectPantry.com

I love a good caprese salad, but it is something I have never tried to make at home. I also usually don't make my own dressings, just as easy to go out and buy one that is pretty tasty. But todays culinary adventure has me rethinking that strategy.

I used my immersion blender to whip up the dressing really quick instead of a food processor. Tossed all the liquids in the chopper attachment and rough chopped the garlic and basil. Pulsed the heck out of it until it was all nice and "whipped" up. No pesky streams of olive oil or anything like that. The chopper gets going so fast it all comes together just the same.

A great quick no fuss side. Comes together in maybe 15 minutes and tastes like you slaved over it. And make sure to use the best mozzarella you can find along with the best tomatoes, the dressing is amazing but the salad is simple and needs good ingredients for the base.

Basil Hummus

An awesome basil twist on traditional hummus. If you have a basil fan in the house this is going to send them over the moon. Full of flavor and an excellent party dip that will surprise everyone. It would be good with most chips and also veggies and cheese.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cups sweet basil leaves, packed
~3 cloves garlic, smashed then minced
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (1.5-2 lemons)
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
Several dashes Tabasco**
1 teaspoon tomato paste
**Optional but Jason says it kicks it up a lot

Servings: Almost 2 cups of hummus

Instructions:
Heat the pine nuts in a small skillet on medium high heat. Stir them when they start to brown. When most of them have lightly browned, remove them from the pan into a bowl to cool. (Reserve a few pine nuts for garnish.)

In the bowl of a food processor (I used an immersion blender), place the basil leaves and the garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans, most of the pine nuts, olive oil, water, lemon juice, salt, tomato paste, and a few dashes of Tabasco. Pulse several times, for several seconds each time, until the hummus is smooth. Add more Tabasco and salt or lemon juice to taste.

Serve with pita wedges, crackers, bread sticks or rustic bread. Veggies and cheese will also go well with this dip.

Recipe From: SimplyRecipes.com

I have a dirty secret, I love... or perhaps I should say I am obsessed with basil, well and garlic. There are just no better tastes out there, hm, well and cheese. But I love basil and this recipe pretty much takes hummus and makes it awesome by adding a basic pesto.

I think, but have yet to try, adding some parmigiana cheese to this dip which might make it even more awesome. If your a garlic fan, add a few extra cloves, I think I tossed in about 5 of them. I also left out the Tabasco sauce but Jason added some to his little private dish of the stuff and said it made it for him. But then he thinks everything needs hot sauce, everything. It disgusts me.

I also whipped this all up in my immersion blender. I rough chopped the basil and the garlic and then pulsed it a few times. Then I added all the liquids and pulsed this into a liquid. Added one can of beans, mixed it well and then added the other can of beans and blended it well. Thick and fantastic.

So if you have the space for a food processor, more power to you, but you can do pretty much anything a food processor can do with the Kitchen Aid Immersion blender and chopper attachment. Saves a LOT of space, also replaces a blender unless you make a lot of drinks.

Marinated Tuna Steaks

An easy tasty marinated that works well with tuna or any other white fish. Keeps thinks tender and flavorful without over whelming the fish.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (I used dried "Italian herbs")
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 (4 ounce) tuna steaks

Servings: 4 Steaks

Instructions:
In a large non-reactive dish, mix together the orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in the marinade and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill for high heat. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook the tuna steaks for 5 to 6 minutes, then turn and baste with the marinade. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or to desired doneness. Discard any remaining marinade.

Recipe From: AllRecipes.com

When Dad came out to visit he went fishing with Crystal, deep sea fishing. They had a blast out in the sun flinging about fish and guts while I sat home in the AC. But when they returned they brought back some amazing fresh tuna steaks and I was lucky enough to get some!

Now that my freezer was filled with tuna steaks I needed to figure out what to do with them. I love to eat fish but I am not one to cook it, I just smother it in garlic and lemon with some butter and it never comes out very special. So with these amazing cuts of super fresh fish I needed to do something different. This recipe has great reviews so I thought I couldn't go wrong.

I followed everything pretty much to the letter, though I followed the advice of others and marinaded for 2 hours not 30 minutes and this came out fantastic. Flavorful but not overwhelming, so it goes well with almost any dish. Not too sweet or salty, just right.

The tuna was thick and took about 4 minutes per side and didn't stick too bad too the grill. We put it skin side down first and all seemed to go well. Beautiful fish and very tasty. In the future I would let this marinade over night on super thick steaks, make sure go for at least 2 hours! Nothing less!

Creamy Artichoke Orzo

A fantastic side or a comforting main dish this rice is a hit. The rice still gets creamy like risotto but stays firm and plump, a little less melt in your mouth and more like a good solid meal.

Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable stock (good stuff, not cheap stuff)
2 cups Chicken stock
1½ cups orzo
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or mixed Italian cheeses)
6 large artichoke hearts, chopped (14 oz can)
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
Black pepper, to taste
Optional herbs**

**You could easily add any number of fresh herbs and this would go well. So when your finished, give it a taste and if you have something on hand, feel free to add it.

Servings: 4 meal sized servings, 8 side dish size servings

Instructions:
In a small saucepan, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

In a saute pan, add orzo, olive oil, salt, and 2 cups of simmering stock, over medium-low heat. Continue adding stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring often for about 25-30 minutes, letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next until orzo is tender and creamy.

Turn off heat and stir in Parmesan, artichokes, chives, and walnuts. Season to taste with pepper and nutmeg. Serve immediately.

Recipe From: www.babble.com

This is a fantastic main meal or as a side to a nice herbed chicken. It is also much easier and a bit less time consuming that risotto. Even Jason enjoyed the combination of simple flavors, though he did add a tiney drip of Blairs Hot Sauce, but he puts that on everything. I am beginning to be less grossly insulted by this, I just assume his tongue is retarded. He also enjoys crap food as much as he enjoys good food, sometimes I think I married the wrong stomach. In any case this rice dish would even be fantastic without the cheese if you want to please a vegan crowd.

I used my homemade vegetable stock that I had in the freezer and reduced sodium chicken stock from a carton. I think if you used crappy stock alone you would end up with mediocre rice. So make sure your stock tastes good. Even if you just doctor up some canned stock from the store, make sure it is tasty stuff.

If you have access to frozen artichokes, which I do not, this might work out even better than canned. But the canned ones in water worked just fine for me. Don't leave out the chives, they do add something to this dish more than just a splash of color.