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Menu Plan for Spring II: Week 4, Friday

Spinach White Bean and Red Pepper Salad
Seared Tuna with Mustard Sauce
Quinoa
Snow Peas and Carrots

Cooking time:  35 minutes for menu          Cooking schedule: see below for instructions

       This is wonderful with sushi-grade ahi, but any tuna or even halibut will be delicious. We use the rest of the red pepper in the risotto on Sunday and the rest of the beans in the pasta on Tuesday.  And more spinach on Monday. 

Spinach, White Bean and Red Pepper Salad

Total time: 25 minutes
    Maple syrup adds a bit of sweetness to this putting a different spin on the traditional spinach salad.  You can substitute honey if you don't have it.  The diced red pepper are sautéed briefly in the skillet after the bacon is removed, just to soften them a little. 

 Ingredients:

• 3oz (90gr) fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup (4oz (120gr) white beans, cannellini
• 2oz (60gr) bacon 2 strips
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 egg
• 6 - 10 fresh basil leaves, torn if large
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Greek or other olives to garnish,  optional
• Maple Vinaigrette:
• 2 tbs maple syrup   substitute honey
• 1 tbs cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
• 2 tbs salad olive oil

 Instructions:

• Hard boil egg. 
• Chop red pepper. 
• Open, drain and rinse beans. Refrigerate unused portion.
• Sauté bacon until crisp.  Remove, drain on paper towels and crumble. 
• Drain bacon fat from pan. 
• Add olive oil and red pepper and sauté briefly over medium heat, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Wash spinach if necessary. Tear, if needed. 
• Peel egg when done and cut into chunks. 
• Maple Vinaigrette:
• In a small bowl mix maple syrup, vinegar and mustard. 
• Slowly add olive oil, whisking constantly until well combined.
• The finish: 
• Put spinach and herbs into a large bowl.  Add dressing and toss well to coat - tongs work well. 
• Add red pepper and beans and toss well to combine. 
• Add bacon and egg, toss once or twice to combine. 
• Arrange on 2 plates.  Garnish with olives if using and serve

Pan-Seared Tuna Mustard Cream 

Total time: 15 minutes
     This is best with good sushi-grade (ahi) tuna that is quickly seared on both sides and cool or just barely warm in the center.  If you get regular tuna you will need to cook it until it is closer to medium. If you use hot mustard (like I do) this sauce will have a bit of a kick... You can, of course, use less...

 Ingredients:

• 2 tuna steaks, 12oz (360gr) total weight
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• sea salt for sprinkling (or other nice salt) optional
• Mustard Cream:
• 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
• 1/4 cup (2oz, 60gr) Greek yogurt
• 1 tbs salad olive oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon

 Instructions

• Peel garlic and cut in half. 
• Heat oil and lemon in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add garlic and fry for 1 - 2 minutes.  Remove and discard.
• Add tuna and sauté 3 - 5 minutes per side (depending on thickness - 3 minutes if 1 inch (2.5 cm), 5 minutes if 2 inch (5 cm)) for medium-rare, longer if you want them more done. 
• Remove, sprinkle with sea salt and serve, Mustard Cream on the side.
• Mustard Cream:
• In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients except olive oil.
• Drizzle in olive oil, whisking until combined and thick.

Quinoa

Total time: 20 minutes
    Quinoa is very high in protein and "contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food" according to Wikipedia.  It's also easy to cook and tasty - what more could we want? You can substitute Basmati or Jasmine rice.

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (3.5oz, 100gr) quinoa
• 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken stock

 Instructions:

• Rinse quinoa if needed (most comes washed). 
• Combine quinoa and stock in small saucepan.  Cover and bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat and simmer until done, about 15 minutes  (or whatever your package says).   Serve.

Note: Quinoa comes in black, red and tan.....  At least that's all I've found to date...

Sautéed Snow Peas (Mangetout) with Carrots  

Total time: 20 minutes
   Remember canned Peas and Carrots?  This isn't it....  Stir-frying is a method of cooking, not a cuisine. Nothing says we can't use maple syrup rather than soy sauce as our flavoring.

 Ingredients:

• 1 - 2 carrots
• 4oz (120gr) snow peas, mangetout, sugar snap peas
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs chicken stock
• 2 tsp maple syrup  substitute honey or brown sugar

 Instructions:

• Cut carrots into matchsticks.
• Slice onion.
• Trim snow peas, cutting off the stem end.  Slice diagonally into wide strips if large.
• Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add carrot and onion; stir-fry about 5 minutes.
• Add snow peas and stir-fry another 3 minutes. 
• Add maple syrup and chicken stock, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 3 minutes.
• Uncover and cook off any liquid. 
• Carrots should be just tender.  Serve.

Cooking Schedule: 35 minutes Assemble all food, utensils and serving dishes Utensils: measuring cups, spoons, knives, 2 small saucepans, lids, medium skillet with lid, large skillet, 2 small bowls, whisk, salad bowl Boil egg Clean, tear spinach Make mustard sauce Peel garlic, cut in half Sauté bacon Slice onion Peel, cut carrots Trim, slice snow peas Turn bacon Cut red pepper (refrigerate half) Make vinaigrette

Remove bacon, drain, crumble Sauté red pepper Add quinoa, stock to saucepan, cover, cook Drain, rinse beans, refrigerate unused Peel, chop egg Make salad, serve Done? Mind the quinoa, turn off if done Sauté carrots, onion Heat garlic, lemon, oil in skillet Sauté tuna Add pea pods to carrots, sauté Turn tuna Add stock, syrup to vegetables, cover, simmer Fluff quinoa, spoon into serving dish Remove tuna, garnish with mustard Finish vegetables, Serve

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